Looking Toward the Future
For over 35 years, SunPower panels have pushed the
boundaries of solar innovation. The SunPower name is
renowned for its record-setting technology, industry-leading
design and engineering, and the first-rate customer
experience SunPower partners deliver every day.
As the manufacturer of SunPower panels, Maxeon Solar
Technologies is passionate about securing these advantages.
To date, more than 90 patents have already been granted to
secure the inherent differentiation in SunPower Performance
technology. These safeguards not only protect the panel
designs and the unique processes and equipment used to
manufacture them—they provide confidence to customers as
well.
While many manufacturers are still in the early stages of
developing varied panel technologies that rely on slicing and
interconnecting portions of larger cells, the fifth generation
of SunPower Performance panels is now being deployed to
customers worldwide. This latest generation of shingled cell
technology builds upon years of design and engineering
innovation, while rapidly scaling manufacturing to meet
demand from solar power plant EPCs and developers around
the globe (figure 16).
To scale manufacturing rapidly, Maxeon Solar Technologies
has partnered with Tianjin Zhonghuan Semiconductor (TZS).
TZS is a leading mono wafer provider with more than 85 GW
of planned and operating mono silicon ingot and wafer
capacity. Huansheng Solar (HSPV) was formed by TZS and
Maxeon Solar Technologies to combine their respective
strengths in wafer technology and proximity to China’s
strong supply chain and logistics capacity, with Silicon Valley
innovation. This joint venture solidified SunPower
Performance panels’ place as the leading shingled panel in
terms of global deployments. In addition, it has proven both
the manufacturability, as well as the strong market demand
for the technology.
Figure 16: Taking the time to build a solid foundation centered
around performance and reliability was a key factor in the
scale-up of SunPower Performance panel technology.
In 2020, Maxeon Solar Technologies and TZS announced an
additional 6 GW of capacity at HSPV to fuel future growth in
the large-scale solar power plant market. The first 3 GW
expansion phase is already delivering SunPower Performance
5 panels. An additional 3 GW will be added in 2021. Both
facilities are highly automated, utilising “Factory 4.0”
intelligence to digitise and optimise the entire manufacturing
value chain—from raw material loading and product
assembly, through testing and packaging.
To learn more about SunPower Performance technology,
contact your local sales representative, or visit
sunpower.maxeon.com.
1 Most Efficient: Based on datasheet review of websites of top 20 manufacturers per IHS, as of June 2020. Unmatched Reliability : Jordan, et. al.
Robust PV Degradation Methodology and Application. PVSC 2018
2 Based on shipments as of Q2-2020
3 SunPower Performance Series – Thermal Performance, Z. Campeau 2016
4 Dupont Global PV Reliability Field Analysis (reports issued 2016, 2018 and 2019)
5 SunPower. A Comparative Study: SunPower DC Solar Module Warranty Claim Rates vs. Conventional Panels. 2019.
6 SunPower internal bifacial field test results in Davis, CA.
7 Shifeng D, et. al. Research on hot spot risk for high-efficiency solar module. Energy Procedia, ISSN: 1876-6102, Vol: 130,
Page: 77-86. 2017.
8 Kato. (2012). PV module failures observed in the field: solder bond and bypass diode failures. In Characterizing and Classifying Failures of PV
Modules.
9 SunPower internal study, 2020.
10 Source: Forbes, The World's Largest Oil & Gas Companies 2020. Forbes Global 2000.
11 Based review of manufacturer websites of IHS top 20 manufacturers as of Q2-20 for p-type panels.
12 Representative of standard efficiency solar manufacturers. Competitor warranty information provided from latest warranty docu mentation from
various conventional panel manufacturer websites as of October 2020.
13 Performance panels expected useful life of 35 years. Source: “SunPower P-Series Technology Technical Review,” Leidos Independent Engineer
Report. 2016.
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