Control over the complete supply chain
As technical manager at JA SOLAR, Ignacio Espinosa knows solar panels like the back of his hand. His work comprises presales, product training and the communication of all new developments and technologies. “We are a vertically integrated manufacturer. This means that we participate on the manufacturing chain of the PV modules from the ingots to the modules. We can affect all stages of our manufacturing process, apply technological innovations and our knowledge on the technology piled up over the years, improving the costs control and mainly the quality of our products. As a result we produce solar panels with a very high reliability. A great advantage for us, as we understand the reliability as the most important value for our customers.”
Meet all requirements At SolarAccess, we all know that the solar panels production process is getting more and more advanced and the output per panel is increasing. Erwin Rozendaal “For us, the quality and reliability of panels is very important. Due to the fact that their solar panels meet all our high standard of requirements we have been working with JA SOLAR for a few years already.
In addition to the quality and reliability of the solar panels, the way they are produced is very important as well. As a green energy company, with a high drive for sustainability, we know that JA SOLAR panels are produced in a very responsible way.
We are proud and happy to collaborate with JA SOLAR. They really fit our highly criteria’s of best technology and highest efficiency”.
Cost reduction by increasing output
JA SOLAR keeps on growing every year. Ignacio: “In 2020 we increased our production capacity to 15 gigawatt and by the end of 2021 we will be at 30 gigawatt.” As one of most important players in the solar market, JA SOLAR continuously is improving the value of their solar panels. During the last two decades all renewable energy suppliers already realized a massive cost reduction. As Ignacio states, they are competing with other technologies like hydro, wind and even coal and nuclear. Therefore cost reduction remains an important goal for JA Solar. Ignacio: “Increasing the power per module is an important strategy. A higher output per module means less investment in other equipment such as mounting systems, cables, combiner boxes and so on. It is also a way to reduce the cost per panel, using same general elements in the modules, but producing higher power output. To achieve this higher power output we increased the size of the wafers, the silicon building blocks of the panels.”
From 125 mm to 182 mm
The first solar wafers produced (early 2000s) were around 125 mm in length. Since then M0 wafers (156 mm), M2 wafers (156.75 mm), M4 wafers (161.75 mm) and M6 (166 mm) wafers were developed. The bigger the wafer, the more power it can generate. Ignacio: “Our DeepBlue 3.0 modules are made using 182 mm wafer, and can reach powers of 540 watts currently with single glass modules. We know that this is going to be the trend next year and SolarAccess already uses these panels. The new size modules DeepBlue 3.0 are produced in a new production facility dedicated to them.”
Erwin: “We are very pleased with the DeepBlue 3.0 solar panels. They offer a high watt-peak percentage and high efficiency for each panel. We have used these panels in all our recent projects. On top of that, the cooperation with JA SOLAR is professional and very pleasant.”
N-type cells
Nowadays we are all using mono Perc (passivated emitter rear cell) p-type cell technology, since it offers better efficiency and a better manufacturing process. JA SOLAR expects N-type cells to grow in their portfolio as well over the next years. Ignacio: “N-type cells have a more complex manufacturing process, and offer better efficiency and temperature behaviour. The costs are not competitive yet, and the JA SOLAR R&D department works hard to make this product economically attractive as well. In a few years P-type and N-type cells will share the market.”
Maintaining high standards
With al technological developments, reliability remains one of JA SOLARs main goals. Ignacio: “All new technologies are on the table. We make choices depending on the results of our analyses and make sure that they are 100% reliable. We are always on top of the last reliable technology. As a vertically integrated manufacturer, our customers know that JA SOLAR modules are of absolute premium quality and reliability and we this is our day to day challenge. SolarAccess has been an important partner for us during the last years. Together we realized several successful projects and we really appreciate our collaboration. We are continuously supporting SolarAccess with our best products and our best efficiency ratio. We are looking forward to continuing this long-term relationship!”