Summing up: What benefits do heterojunction panels offer?

Heterojunction solar panels can be quite beneficial since they have an improved technology with great potential in the solar industry. These are some major benefits of the technology.

High efficiency

With a 26.07% conversion efficiency for monofacial modules and more than 30% for bifacial, heterojunction places itself as one of the most efficient solar technologies in the industry. This makes it convenient for applications with limited space, areas requiring large generation capacities, and others.

Good temperature coefficient

Heterojunction solar cell technology is less affected by changes in temperature. This makes it great for applications in locations with high temperatures, which can negatively affect the performance of standard c-Si modules.

High bifaciality

HJT cell has a high bifaciality factor of 92%, making HJT deliver a great performance when designed as a bifacial module. This technology is becoming more popular for utility-scale applications, which seek to take advantage of the albedo resource.

Easy manufacturing process

Heterojunction solar cells have additional steps in the manufacturing process, but this does not highly increase the cost. This technology only involves 5-7 steps during manufacturing, and the price for the necessary equipment is constantly being reduced, showing a great promise for the future of HJT.

Typical applications of heterojunction solar technology

Heterojunction solar panels are extremely versatile, opening the way for the solar industry to further increase applications for solar power. These are some of the most common applications for this technology.

Limited space applications (Solar shingles & BIPV)

HJT high conversion efficiency makes it great for limited space applications. Two popular applications are the manufacturing of solar
shingles and Building Integrated Photovoltaic (BIPV) products. Tesla roofs are among the most popular shingles using this technology, which greatly increases the solar efficiency for a home with photovoltaics.

Power source for wearable devices

Reducing the size of wafer-based layers can open the way for integrating HJT technology with wearable devices. This will provide the devices with a power source to extend their autonomy during the day.

Utility-scale applications

Regular monofacial heterojunction solar panels can be used in utility-scale applications, being especially beneficial with bifacial heterojunction solar panels. This will result in solar farms with an average efficiency of over 30%, which does not only take advantage of direct sunlight but also of the albedo resource.

Looking into the future of heterojunction technology

The heterojunction is a promising technology with high recorded efficiencies. The technology makes way for the solar industry to increase the efficiency of the day-to-day PV module and decrease the Levelized Cost of Energy (LCOE) regarding solar power.
The solar industry produced 5GW in heterojunction solar panels in 2019, making HJT technology hold around 5% of the retail market, with the largest manufacturers being Tesla in the US and Panasonic in Malaya and Japan, but this is expected to grow in the future. With an expected price of $0.19/W for 2029-2030, HJT technology could hold 15% of the retail market.