HJT Module Efficiency Increased From 21.68% To 23% Over 2.5 Years

Second gainer: The top efficiency for HJT modules listed in TOP SOLAR MODULES increased from 22.2% in January 2022 to 23.02% by the end of H1 2024, gaining 0.82% absolute, the second highest among all technologies.

Key Takeaways

· The lower limit for HJT module efficiency rose from 21.68% in 2022 to 21.85% by August 2023, with the upper limit exceeding 23% by September 2023.

· REC led initially with 22.2% efficiency until Huasun reached 23.02% in September 2023, maintaining the top spot into H1 2024.

· Canadian Solar, Akcome, Risen, and Tongwei introduced high-efficiency HJT modules, pushing industry standards.

· For Heterojunction technology, the lower limit of 21.68% was maintained throughout 2022 and a major part of 2023, before it changed once—increasing to 21.8% in August. The January 2022 upper limit of 21.9% was bettered in February to reach 22.2%, which remained the case till April. It then increased to 22.5% in May, and again marginally to 22.53% in July 2022. It exceeded the 23% level in September 2023, up to 23.02%, and remained so until the end of the coverage period for this report—H1 2024.

As for the companies, REC held the top spot at 22.2% until March 2022. Then in April, Huasun, the HJT segment pioneer that had been promoting a 22.1% HJT module, commercialized an HJT product with 22.2% efficiency, sharing the top space with REC. In May 2022, Canadian Solar entered the list with a 22.5% product, pushing REC down to 2nd with its 22.3% efficiency HJT module, which itself had increased from 22.2%. The very next month, Huasun commercialized its new HJT module with 22.53%, which remained the top efficiency until August 2023. In September, Huasun bettered itself by commercializing a module with 23.02% efficiency, which not only took HJT beyond the 23% level but also earned it a place among the top 3 ranks in our list. Huasun continued its lead till the coverage period of this report—H1 2024 .

A 2-year leader: Huasun has represented the top HJT efficiency level from June 2022 till June 2024, increasing efficiency twice – to 22.53% and 23.02%.

REC and CSI also maintained the efficiencies of their HJT products at the same level during the period, at 22.3% and 22.5%. In June 2022, Akcome entered our listing as an HJT maker with a 22.5% efficient module, but the product specs became inaccessible in November. While the company released a new HJT module in December 2022, it was with a lower efficiency of 22.22%. Exactly after 1 year, in December 2023, the company improved it to 22.37%. Longtime HJT proponent Risen’s HJT module was featured for the first time in our list in April 2023 with an efficiency of 22.5%, the same as CSI’s product. URECO joined the list with 22.44% efficiency in August 2023, and all 3 products remained unaltered till the end of the year. Our December 2023 edition included the HJT module from Tongwei for the first time with an impressive 23% efficiency.

Meyer Burger, a Germany-based HJT manufacturer using its own proprietary cell and module production equipment, maintained the same module efficiency of 21.8% throughout our TOP SOLAR MODULES coverage. Jinergy’s HJT module represented the lower limit of HJT modules at 21.68% from the beginning of 2022 until August 2023. In September, the company commercialized a module with an improved efficiency of 21.85%, pushing Meyer Burger’s product to the lowest level in this segment. These 8 companies maintained their respective efficiency levels throughout the first 6 months of 2024 as well.