Solarspace launches 555 W half-cut solar module with gallium-doped cells

Chinese solar module manufacturer Solarspace has unveiled a new panel based on half-cut cell technology and gallium-doped cells.

“Gallium-doped cells protect the module from light-induced degradation, ensuring a power loss of less than 2 percent during the first year,” a spokesperson from the company told pv magazine. “Multi-busbar design improves module efficiency by minimizing the amount of current flowing between the fingers and the busbars, which reduces resistive losses.”

Dubbed SS8-72HS 530-555M, the new product is available in six different versions with a power output ranging from 535 to 555 W and a power conversion efficiency between 20.5 and 21.5%. The open-circuit voltage spans from 49.31 and 50.03 and the short-circuit current from 13.73 to 14.07 A.

The panel measures 2,279 mm x 1,134 mm x 35 mm and has a weight of 27.5 kg. It also features an IP68 enclosure, 2 mm tempered glass and can operate with a system voltage of either 1,000 or 1,500 V. The panel has a temperature coefficient of -0.35% per C and its operational temperature ranges from -40 C to 85 C.

The new product comes with a 25-year linear power output guarantee and a 12-year product guarantee. The degradation in the first year is purportedly 2.0% and 25-year end power output is guaranteed to be no less than 84% of the nominal output power.

Solarspace announced in July a deal with the government of Chuzhou, Anhui province, for a 16 GW solar cell manufacturing facility. The factory will be built in two 8 GW phases and produce cells based on 182 mm and 210 mm wafers. The manufacturer has currently a cell production capacity of 19 GW and 4.5 GW of module production.