According to Trina Solar, the cell was fabricated on a phosphorous doped silicon substrate and utilized a low-cost industrial IBC process, featuring conventional tube doping technologies and fully screen-printed metallization.
The efficiency was independently verified by the Japan Electric Safety and Environment Technology Laboratory. Trina also points out that this cell is the first single junction crystalline silicon cell to surpass 25% efficiency.
This achievement breaks Trina’s own record for a monocrystalline IBC cell, set in 2016. It also adds to the extensive list of accolades achieved by Trina Solar’s State Key Lab – which now has 18 world records in cell and module technology under its belt.
SunPower, Panasonic, ISFH, UNSW, and likely other academic institutes have surpassed 25% with single junction crystalline silicon.
So it’s a cell record for efficiency on a substrate this large and for made-in-China efficiency. Good job by Trina. Sounds like they are developing a less exotic, costly process for IBC cells than SunPower has used.