KARACHI: Pakistan should adopt the fast-track mode for the introduction of modern technologies for harnessing its full potential of solar energy. The power consumers in the industrial, commercial, and domestic sectors should get easy access to the latest equipment for maximum utilization of solar energy abundantly available in the country.
No doubt, the geographical, weather, and climatic conditions are most suitable in most parts of our country around the year for the availability of solar power in abundance. Just the right combination of government support, long-term policies, investment, availability of trained manpower and the latest technology is required to fully utilize this massive clean energy resource. The recent countrywide agitation against excess electricity bills also shows that the government has to act fast to promote the usage of renewable sources of energy as an alternative to the expensive imported fossil fuels for power generation.
The latest estimates show that Pakistan has the potential to produce up to 2900 GW of clean energy alone on the basis of solar power. Despite such a huge potential for renewable energy generation, the country hasn’t been producing more than 3 GW based on both solar and wind power. At present, solar power accounts for only two percent of Pakistan’s national energy mix, it has to be increased to up to 19 percent in less than a decade as per the plan of the government to promote renewable sources of energy in the country.
The development schemes aimed at using rooftops of public sector buildings for installing solar panels, provision of solar systems at subsidized rates to off-grid homes in rural areas, and building utility-scale solar park projects near urban centers should be implemented at an accelerated pace to meet this target. No doubt, LONGi is the ace renewable energy sector company, which stands shoulder-to-shoulder with the energy sector authorities in Pakistan to support their efforts to promote the usage of clean solar energy resources both in urban and rural areas.
LONGi has always taken the lead among its competitors in the market in introducing the latest technology for helping out domestic, commercial, and industrial consumers who are switching to solar power for uninterrupted electricity at the cheapest rates for powering their homes and businesses without increasing their carbon footprint.
The state, federal, and provincial authorities who deal with the Pakistani energy sector frequently appreciate the LONGi’s active role in introducing state-of-the-art technologies and equipment for the consumers in the Pakistani renewable energy market who opt for solar power. Independent analysts and experts associated with the Pakistani energy sector have also acknowledged the positive role of LONGi in introducing quality solar power equipment in Pakistan. No doubt, the recent announcement by the LONGi to adopt the BC (Back Contact) Solar Cell Technology is a step in the right direction in this regard.
With roots dating back to 2004, BC technology has been on a steady rise, and major players in the global renewable energy market have been adopting it at a fast pace. As this latest renewable energy technology gains maturity, LONGi looks at a potential production capacity of over 30GW at the end of 2023. When it comes to BC tech, the combined PERC and HPBC route offers the highest cost-effectiveness. But that’s not all as BC technology promises even greater efficiency and outstanding power generation performance. Plus, its breakthroughs in aesthetics make it a seamless fit for various applications in the diverse world of distributed photovoltaics for end-consumers in the power sector. With BC battery technology, module products can be customized in a spectrum of colors, vastly expanding the application scenarios for photovoltaic components. The renewable energy sector analysts believe that BC tech, with its efficient conversion and sleek design, is set to lead the way for the future of photovoltaic batteries.
“Over the next 5-6 years, the BC solar cells, known for their high efficiency and aesthetics are set to swiftly become the leading choice in the photovoltaic industry. With a growing market share, they are poised to be the absolute mainstream technology of crystalline silicon solar cells. Therefore, LONGi will adopt the BC solar cell technology route in a substantial portion of its product portfolio.” This was stated by Baoshen Zhong, Chairman of LONGi, while recently unveiling the company’s innovation direction in solar cell technology during the company’s 2023 H1 performance briefing.
LONGi has developed a proprietary HPBC (Hybrid Passivated Back Contact) solar cell, is a more advanced BC technology featuring none front shading, leading to improvement in photo absorption and therefore higher conversion efficiency. This technology is widely recognized as a revolutionary invention in the post-Passivated Emitter and Rear Contact (PERC) era. It was developed over the years by LONGi’s R and D team and has now achieved commercial value.
LONGi’s HPBC solar cell offers a benchmark conversion efficiency in mass production of over 25 percent. With the aid of optimizing device structural design, the HPBC solar cell technology significantly enhances light absorption and photovoltaic conversion capabilities, resulting in significantly improved module output power. Based on this technology, the module product Hi-MO X6 was released on October 2nd 2023, with an average module conversion efficiency in mass production up to 23.3 percent.
In 2023 H1, LONGi started industrial-scale production of HPBC solar cells and has now achieved its target yield and efficiency. Baoshen Zhong disclosed that by the end of 2023, the 30GW HPBC production capacity expanded by the company will be fully operational. Furthermore, the majority of LONGi’s production facilities will adopt the BC solar cell technology roadmap in the future.
“In the past, the challenge of BC solar cell technology was low yield and cost-effectiveness. This time, LONGi announced that, by technology upgrading, the company has successfully improved the mass production yield, modified the manufacturing processes, and significantly reduced the cost, thereby facilitating the large-scale promotion of BC solar cell technology,” said Professor Wenzhong Shen, the Secretary General of Shanghai Solar Energy Society, the Director of the Institute of Solar Energy at Shanghai Jiao Tong University.
LONGi views the space of efficiency improvement as its top priority in selecting a technology roadmap. Regarding the BC solar cell technology, the company firmly believes that it offers greater room for successive efficiency enhancement than other technologies available in the market. Additionally, thanks to the improvement in aesthetics, the BC products can be integrated into different application scenarios, particularly into the thriving distributed photovoltaic market for domestic, industrial, and commercial consumers. To meet various demands from diverse distributed photovoltaic applications, the BC modules can be fabricated in different colors.
LONGi has been heavily investing in R and D with consistency. From 2012 to 2023 H1, the company has a cumulative R and D investment exceeding CNY 20 billion, the highest in the industry. In 2023 H1 alone, LONGi has invested CNY 3.42 billion in R and D, accounting for 5.29% of its overall operating income. Until June 30th 2023, the company has obtained 2,525 approved patents of different types.
