Article

A research team from the Ningbo Institute of Materials Technology and Engineering has developed industrial-grade TOPCon silicon solar cells with a certified power conversion efficiency of 26.09%. This innovation reduces silver consumption and improves bifacial performance, addressing key cost constraints in photovoltaics.

TOPCon technology dominates over 70% of the crystalline silicon market, but high silver usage and optical losses have limited performance gains. The team introduced a high-precision steel-stencil printing method that minimizes silver paste usage by approximately 0.12 mg per watt and enhances electrical contact.

Additionally, a localized polysilicon structure on the rear side reduces optical absorption and boosts bifaciality to nearly 90%. These advancements enable higher efficiency and lower-cost production of TOPCon cells at scale, aligning with industry efforts to reduce silver demand in photovoltaic deployment.