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700 W+ PV Open Innovation Ecological Alliance launched

Trina Solar has launched the 700W+ Photovoltaic Open Innovation Ecological Alliance in partnership with five other manufacturers: Astronergy, Canadian Solar, Risen Energy, TCL Zhonghuan and Tongwei.  

The alliance is an upgrade to the 600W+ Photovoltaic Open Innovation Ecological Alliance, launched by Trina Solar in 2020. It aims to standardise the design and manufacture of 700W+ solar PV modules. This process will be instrumental in enhancing supply chain efficiency, boosting production and lowering costs of this module type. 

Enhance the technological capabilities

Trina Solar and its five partners launched a joint initiative on standardising the design of 700W+ modules several days earlier. All PV manufacturers should adhere to existing agreed industry dimensions (a module size of 2384mm x 1303mm, and a module long-side vertical hole distance of between 400mm and 1400mm). A hole distance of 790mm has been added to the proposed standard. Alongside this, the six manufacturers have reiterated the need for companies throughout the industry chain to continue enhancing their technological capabilities. 

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The PV industry has come a long way in a short space of time, with the 600W+ era now making way for the 700W+ one. This has been driven by the rapid growth in ultra-high-power and ultra-high-efficiency modules, including n-type high-efficiency cell technology such as TOPCon and HJT, and 210mm large-format wafer technology.

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Set of standards

The 700W+ Photovoltaic Open Innovation Ecological Alliance has been created to support this step in the evolution of PV technology. By establishing a set of standards for the ongoing development of these modules, its members aim to accelerate the industrialisation of the technology, thereby increasing production, reducing LCOE, building consistency across the entire industry chain, and maximising the value of solar PV in the long term. (hcn)