As a recognized innovation leader in the field of photovoltaic technology, SunPower has recently obtained an important Chinese invention patent (CN 108091705) for SunPower's proprietary manufacturing of shingled solar cells. This technology has obtained 11 patents in the United States, and has obtained a number of patents in Australia, South Korea, Europe and Japan. The acquisition of Chinese patents has further patent protection.
Although this is not the first patent obtained by SunPower in China, it is the first invention patent related to shingle module (P series or Performance Panel) technology. The P-19 solar module uses unique battery interconnect technology developed by Cogenra Solar in Silicon Valley. SunPower acquired Cogenra in 2015 and launched the P series solar modules in the same year.
After years of testing, installation, and certification, SunPower has a production capacity of more than 2.2GW of shingled modules in its Hillsboro, Oregon, and DZS joint venture in Yixing, China. At present, the demand for shingled modules is strong worldwide. It is installed in ground power stations, industrial and commercial and residential households. We plan to expand the production capacity to 5GW in the next few years.
Also using monocrystalline PERC cells, compared to traditional modules, SunPower's shingled modules are superior in terms of efficiency, performance and reliability, and have:
· Strong shingled battery string and advanced packaging materials have strong resistance to thermal stress, humidity and light decay (PID);
· Unique parallel circuit to reduce hot spots and increase the power generation under shadow occlusion and ash accumulation;
· Reduce white space and eliminate soldering tape to maximize efficiency, reduce system cost and increase battery adaptability.
SunPower P series modules are currently the world's largest installed shingle modules with high reliability, and have been rated as "the world's best-performing manufacturer" by DNV GL, the independent energy certification agency worldwide for two consecutive years. It is one of the few components that has passed all 5 tests of full thermal cycling, moist heat, moist freeze, dynamic mechanical load and PID attenuation.
Thanks to the efforts of SunPower's R & D and engineering team, we are proud to add the newly acquired Chinese invention patents to SunPower's list of more than 1,000 invention patents worldwide, and look forward to more inventions and innovations.