The Bonn-based company Solarworld was the first company to use Perc technology in industrial cell production and set a cell efficiency record of 22.04 percent. Perc means passivated emitter rear cells are fitted with an additional passivation layer on the rear side which increases the charge carrier density leading to substantially higher cell output. About 20 watt additional output is possible from the module of the same area.
By combining Perc cells with 5-busbar technology, output of the Sunmodule Plus can be increased further: A higher number of busbars, the conducting circuit paths on the cell, with which they are connected, means improved transmission of the electricity and increases energy efficiency. The new module achieves an efficiency level of nearly 18 percent and output of over 300 watts. This makes it ideal for solar power systems with a limited available area: 5-busbar modules reach a higher energy output on the same area. The new module will be available at the end of 2016.
