The Intersolar conference in Munich is an event where manufacturers compete to present their innovations. Aiko, already awarded in 2023, highlighted its range of “Infiniti” modules, particularly powerful, efficient and long-lasting.
The Infinite range from Chinese manufacturer Aiko is aimed at a wide range of customers: institutional power producers, the commercial and industrial sector (C&I in English, for “commercial and industrial”) but also residential producers. Aiko Solar’s research and development efforts have borne fruit, especially from the point of view of photovoltaic conversion efficiency. So, for example, its panels reach 2,382 × 1,134 mm a yield of 25.2%, and this translates into a notable gain: their power was able to increase from 655 Wp to 680 Wp. Another example: This efficiency improvement allowed panels of 2,465 × 1,134 mm to be made exceed 700 Wp.
A new technology at the center of this performance
Aiko continued its efforts in the development of its so-called “ABC” technology, for “All-back contact” which it presented in 2022. With this technique, which in French could be described as “rear face contact”, all contacts of Photovoltaic cells are placed at the back of the module, contrary to today’s dominant architectures, such as PERC and the TopCon. This has several advantages.
Space saving allows to increase the density of the cells on the front of the panel, which allows to increase the electrical power generated per unit of surface. Aiko therefore indicates that for a standard panel the inactive surface represents 6.5% of the surface of the panel; with ABC technology this surface is reduced to 5.4%. And this translates into an increase in the efficiency and power of the panel.
The panel also shows a much more uniform surface, once most of the grid has been eliminated. This allows it to improve its aesthetics, which can be of considerable interest especially for the residential sector. One negative point, however: placing all connections on the back face harms the power produced by the back face itself, as far as bifacial modules are concerned. This however provides an advantage in situations where the modules are partially shaded.
Slight degradation of production over time
In his Press release As of June 19, 2024, Aiko will detail other innovations that contribute to the performance of its Infinite products. In particular, the process of assembling and welding the cells would be particularly precise, which not only eliminates gaps between the photovoltaic cells, but also improves the durability of the panels. Aiko therefore offers a performance guarantee that can be extended to 25 years, or even 30 years, with low degradation of the panels : less than 1% in the first year and less than 0.35%/year in subsequent years.
