In the solar industry, most manufacturers have historically aimed to dominate in terms of panel efficiency. But in the last three to four years, a new race to create the strongest solar panel in the world has begun, with some of the major competitors in the market revealing larger format next-generation panels with power ratings significantly higher than 600W.

2020 saw the release of the first 600W panel by Trina Solar, sparking the competition to create the most potent panel. Soon after, JinkoSolar debuted a 610W version of the Tiger Pro panel at the SNEC PV Power Expo in China. Trina Solar revealed that a more potent 660W+ panel was being developed at about the same time. Surprisingly, at SNEC 2020, around 20 manufacturers displayed panels rated at 600W or more. Power and efficiency records were consistently shattered between 2020 and 2023 as manufacturers outcompeted one another by introducing new module forms and more effective cell technologies. By 2024, a lot of manufacturers will have produced panels with ratings significantly higher than 700W, and during the next two years, they want to produce panels with ratings even higher than 800W.

The advances in photovoltaic cells that allow for these greater power ratings are widespread, even with the attention focused on the several high-powered panels. Regular-size commercial and residential solar panels have become much more powerful as a result of these developments; 400W to 550W panels are now considered ordinary. The main cause of the significant rise in power is the increased efficiency brought about by numerous advancements, which we will discuss later in the text.

Designed for utility-scale systems

 

The primary motivation behind the development of bigger, more potent solar panels is the aim to lower the expenses associated with utility-scale solar farms, which will ultimately lead to lower electricity rates. Larger panels have a lower installation cost per kW than smaller panels since they require the same number of connections and labor, which lowers the overall cost and lowers the levelized cost of ownership. High-power panels are far larger than those used on residential rooftops, as will be discussed below. You might feel a little let down if you were hoping to acquire an easy 7kW by using ten 700W panels on your rooftop at home. The majority of powerful panels on the market right now are restricted to commercial and utility-scale installations, and the extra-large panel sizes are difficult to work with and incompatible with the majority of residential rooftops.

It’s interesting to note that premium module producers REC and SunPower (now Maxeon) are not competing to provide higher-power, larger-format panels for utility-scale use. Rather, these companies are concentrated on providing high-efficiency, compact-sized solar panels to their conventional residential and commercial clientele.

 

 

Power Ratings Surpass 700W

Larger, higher-wattage solar panels have been gradually taking over the utility solar market; historically, the leaders in this race have been Trina Solar, Jinko Solar, Canadian Solar, Risen Energy, and JA Solar. These massive, well-known corporations were the first to produce high-power panels with ratings greater than 600W. But Huasun Solar, TW Solar (Tongwei), Jolywood, and the less well-known Akcome released panels rated above 700W using the most recent N-type TOPCon or heterojunction (HJT) cell technologies during 2023 and the beginning of 2024.

Huasun and Tongwei, two massive Chinese enterprises, engaged in a fierce competition to create the strongest solar panel in the latter part of 2023. Every business put together their newest, most efficient cells in an effort to outperform the others. The leader was Huasun Solar, which unveiled the Himalaya G12-132 HJT (Heterojunction) module in November 2023 and received certification from renowned third-party testing and certification organization TÜV SÜD. This panel demonstrated a record-breaking 750.54W power output in addition to an amazing 24.16% efficiency. Although TW Solar recently announced the development of an amazing 765W power rating panel, this has not yet received independent third-party certification.

Large-volume production of the majority of panels rated above 700W is still in its infancy since manufacturing facilities and cell production lines need to be established, despite the many announcements of record-breaking success. The majority of manufacturers have only manufactured 700W+ panels in modest quantities for verification and testing. Regardless of production volume, we have included all independently verified solar panels in the list of the most powerful solar panels below.

Top 10 Most Efficient Commercial Solar Panels

 

We have included a comparison chart of the top 10 most efficient solar panels for 2024, which comes after our list of the most powerful solar panels. Although efficiency and power go hand in hand, not all solar panels with the highest power output are also the most efficient. The physical size (area) of a panel mostly determines its power rating, whilst the technology and solar cell type of the panel determine its efficiency. As a result, a larger panel with better cell technology may be more efficient than a smaller panel with a higher power rating. View our comprehensive page on solar panel efficiency.

A more efficient panel is not always the ideal choice for a particular commercial solar installation just because it is more efficient. The site or building area, the mounting mechanism, wind loads, and other site-specific requirements define the ideal panel power, size, and efficiency for a given project.

Larger Panel Sizes

In the past, improvements in solar PV cell technology led to efficiency gains that accounted for the majority of power increases. Although that plays a role in the dramatic increase in panel wattage, the primary cause is the development of larger cells and panels, as well as more cells per panel. The panels are now physically larger due to the increased cell types and layouts. Large commercial installations or utility-scale solar farms are typically the ideal uses for these large-format panels.

Solar panels were previously offered in two primary sizes: the larger format 72 cell commercial size panels (about 2m high x 1m wide) and the normal format 60 cell residential rooftop panels (about 1.65m high x 1m wide). Then, half-cut cell panels appeared, roughly the same size but with 120 and 144 half-size cells, respectively, twice as many as half-size cells. A select few high-end producers, like SunPower and Panasonic, make distinctive 96- and 104-cell panels in addition to the regular sizes.

During the majority of the last ten years, the 156 × 156 mm, or 6-inch square cell format, has been the industry standard panel size. Still, the new panel sizes are based on the larger 180 and 210mm wafer cell sizes and can reach lengths of up to 2.4m and widths of 1.3m. Compared to the conventional 2.0 x 1.0 m 72-cell panels, this is a size increase of 20% to 30%, which logically results in a significant gain in power.

700W+ PV Open Innovation Ecological Alliance

Tongwei, Canadian Solar, Risen Energy, TCL Zhonghuan, Astronergy, and Trina Solar have joined forces to launch the 700W+ Photovoltaic Open Innovation Ecological Alliance, which will replace the 600W+ model in 2020. With agreed-upon industry module dimensions of 2384 x 1303 mm (and long-side vertical hole distance of 400 & 1400 mm), the alliance aims to standardize the design and production of 700W+ solar PV modules with the goal of increasing supply chain efficiency, cutting costs, and increasing output.

The initiative emphasizes adherence to agreed industry dimensions and calls for continuous technological advancements throughout the industry chain. Establishing standards is intended to accelerate the industrialization of 700W+ modules, promoting consistency, lowering the Levelized Cost of Electricity (LCOE), and maximizing the long-term value of solar PV.

Larger Solar Cell Sizes

 

In 2020, the majority of manufacturers switched from using standard 156mm (6″) square cell wafer sizes to bigger wafer sizes in an effort to reduce manufacturing costs and increase efficiency. A number of cell sizes are being developed, but 166mm, 182mm, and 210mm are the ones that have become the current industry standard. Numerous top producers, such as Jinko, Longi, and Canadian, complied with the 182mm standard. While Longi, the largest producer of mono silicon wafers worldwide, utilizes 166mm and 182mm sizes, depending on the application, Trina Solar is pushing for the larger 210mm wafer size.

Many smaller volume producers may need to switch to one of the new wafer sizes in order to use common wafer and equipment suppliers in order to stay competitive. This comprehensive essay from PV Tech explores the different wafer and ingot sizes, technological advancements, and manufacturing trends surrounding present and future PV cells to provide a thorough history and understanding of wafer and PV cell sizing standards.

There are numerous novel panel designs based on the various cell combinations in addition to the various cell sizes. The 66-cell (half-cut 132), 78-cell (half-cut 156), and 84-cell (half-cut 168) panels are the three most often used designs that have surfaced. In addition, the extra-large 210mm cells are ideal for special cell division formats like 1/3 cut cells, in which the square wafer is split into three sections instead of the typical half-cut or half-size cell.

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