The new solar panel of Enel Green Power has an average efficiency from 22.6% to 22.9% and a temperature coefficient of -0.24% per degree Celsius. It is based on an n-type solar cell with a G12 format and a power conversion efficiency of 24.6%.
Enel Green Power (EGP), a unit of Italian utility Enel, unveiled its latest solar panel at the 8th World Conference on Photovoltaic Energy Conversion this week in Milan, Italy.
The new product is a heterojunction bifacial panel for applications in utility-scale PV projects. It is based on an n-type solar cell with a G12 format and a power conversion efficiency of 24.6%.
“Production will start in September 2023 on the first 400 MW production line of our 3Sun Factory in Catania, Sicily, southern Italy,” the head of 3Sun, Eliano Russo, said. pv magazine. “The efficiency of the cell was verified by the Institute for Solar Energy Research Hamelin (ISFH) in Germany. According to our roadmap, however, we need to increase the efficiency to 25% efficiency in 2025 and more than 26% in the second half of 2026.
The cell currently has a thickness of 150 µm, but the company’s roadmap sets a target of 120 µm by the end of 2025.
“Our cell is flexible and, compared to TOPCon and PERC cells, has a higher resistance to mechanical stress,” explained Russo. “We did a lot of tests that showed that when microcracks do appear, they don’t expand as much as the PERC cells.”
The new panel is available in nine versions, with power outputs from 640 W to 680 W and average efficiency from 22.6% to 22.9%. The open-circuit voltage is between 43.3 V and 44.2 V and the short-circuit current is from 18.9 A to 19.8 A.
All versions of the solar module measure 2,172 mm × 1,303 mm × 35 mm and weigh 36 kg. The maximum system voltage is 1,500 V and the bifaciality reaches 95%. The panel can be used in operating temperatures from -40 C to 85 C, with an operating temperature coefficient of -0.24% per degree Celsius. It is enclosed between 2 mm solar glass with anti-reflective treatment, and also has a junction box with an IP 68 rating and an anodized aluminum frame.
The new products come with a 25-year linear power output warranty and a 20-year product warranty. The degradation in the first year is supposed to be 1.0% and the 25-year end power output is guaranteed to be no less than 93% of the nominal output power.
“The factory will start operations in September 2023,” Russo said, noting that the factory’s capacity at that time will be around 400 MW. “The levelized cost of energy (LCOE) of our panel allows us to face the market while ensuring exceptional profitability.”
EGP will first target the European market, where it is obliged to sell up to 60% of its products, since it receives a significant amount of funding from the European Union.
“We are also targeting non-European markets such as the United States, Latin America, and Asia, and we may also consider opening new factories abroad,” said Russo. “By choosing the heterojunction technology, we decided to bet on technology and innovation, but we also considered increasing our scale. All the economies of scale we get will only increase our competitiveness.
Enel invested €600 million ($579.4 million) in the expansion of the 3Sun facility. From that amount, €188 million euros are expected to be provided by the European Commission and the Italian government through grants from the Innovation Fund and the National Recovery and Resiliency Plan (NRRP).
EGP started production at the 200 MW facility in October 2019. It invested about €80 million in reviving the factory, which was built in 2011 with Japanese electronics manufacturer Sharp and French-Italian semiconductor business STMicroelectronics. Enel took full control of the facility in July 2014. At the time, the factory was intended to produce multi-junction, thin-film silicon PV modules.
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