BC battery technology will become the absolute mainstream of crystalline silicon batteries in the future
2023/9/8
TOPCon cells (tunneling oxide layer passivation contact cells) and BC cells (full back electrode contact crystalline silicon photovoltaic cells) are both photovoltaic cells, but they belong to different technological routes and are currently the two development directions of N-type batteries in the photovoltaic industry that have received widespread attention.
On September 6th, CITIC Securities Research Report pointed out that in the future, BC battery technology will become the absolute mainstream of crystalline silicon batteries and may lead a new trend in battery technology.
The BC battery technology was proposed by SunPower, an American company, and most of the related patents and core technologies are in the company's hands. The conversion efficiency of the latest generation of BC batteries has reached 26%. However, currently, TOPCon batteries are still the absolute mainstream in the photovoltaic market, "Liu Jimao, Assistant President of Xingchu Century Technology Co., Ltd., told reporters. According to data from Jibang Consulting, the conversion efficiency of the current TOPCon battery production line is between 24.5% and 25%.
How do companies choose different technology routes?
According to GGII, the industrialization process of TOPCon batteries has continued to accelerate since 2023. It is expected that the domestic TOPCon battery production capacity will increase to 400GW by the end of 2023 (approximately 100GW in 2022). Compared to this, the industrialization of BC batteries in China is in an earlier stage.
However, the current status of TOPCon batteries may be impacted by BC batteries.
At the semi annual performance briefing held on September 5th, Longji Green Energy clearly stated that it has clearly focused on the BC technology route and the pace of expansion has significantly accelerated. The company will adopt the BC technology route for its next products. The company believes that "in the next 5-6 years, BC batteries will be the absolute mainstream in crystalline silicon batteries".
Jingke Energy stated that it firmly believes that TOPCon will be the mainstream technology for the next 3-5 years. For BC batteries, the company stated: "The company also has relevant technical reserves for BC. In our opinion, (BC batteries) are relatively more beautiful and may have their own market space in distributed and other aspects.
Trina Solar also stated that currently it mainly focuses on TOPCon, which is also the most cost-effective technology route under the company's comprehensive consideration.
The company's project related to TOPCon batteries is currently underway, and the production line has not yet been completed. There is no large-scale product production yet. "The reporter called Hesheng Silicon Industry as an investor, and a staff member of the company stated that it is currently unclear the company's attitude towards BC batteries.
TOPCon and BC batteries each have their own advantages, but who has their own advantages? Three key points to consider
From the perspective of industrialization, which route is better?
Compared with TOPCon batteries, the main advantage of BC batteries lies in their relatively high single-sided efficiency, lack of grid lines on the front, high aesthetics, and obvious advantages in specific distributed scenarios. The advantages of TOPCon batteries include high production cost performance and low attenuation performance, which have gradually been adopted by industry enterprises. Currently, industry leaders have clearly focused on the BC technology route, and the pace of expansion has significantly accelerated, which will create certain pressure on TOPCon In an interview with reporters, Li Mingjin, a senior investment advisor at Jufeng Investment Consulting, analyzed and said.
TOPCon is equivalent to a diverse technology platform that can be combined with various battery structures to obtain different technologies. Based on this premise, the entire TOPCon technology roadmap can be expanded, and BC batteries can also be made. The new generation of BC batteries belongs to an advanced manufacturing process, with core technology revolved around laser film opening, which to some extent improves the photoelectric conversion efficiency. However, taking industry primacy as a reference frame, it is still transitional Technology Wang Jilin, the full-time vice president and secretary-general of the Beijing Energy Association, explained to reporters.
The Chinese photovoltaic market is large enough to not exclude any technology route. TOPCon technology and BC technology, who can win earlier in terms of mass production cost, product quality, and performance (such as conversion efficiency), are more likely to become the final winner. "Lin Boqiang, director of the China Energy Policy Research Institute at Xiamen University, told reporters that BC batteries have good performance but current costs are too high.
Ma Jihua, founder of Darui Consulting, told reporters: At present, TOPCon technology is clearly more mature and production capacity is increasing faster. However, the iteration of new energy technology is always fast, and it has been difficult to have mature and stable forms and ultimate commercial products in recent years. Scale production requires technical commercialization feasibility and more companies choosing to join the transformation route. BC battery technology is being chosen by more companies, but most companies are more likely to focus on one by one and take the integration route.
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