PVTIME – The Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems (Fraunhofer ISE) has announced plans to construct a pilot production line for TOPCon solar cells, designed to support US manufacturer Talon PV in establishing significant solar cell manufacturing capacity in the United States.
Talon PV is currently building a TOPCon solar cell plant in the US which, once fully operational, will have a nameplate capacity of 4GW. To help Talon PV refine its product design and manufacturing processes, Fraunhofer ISE will develop the pilot line at its Photovoltaic Technology Evaluation Centre in Freiburg, Germany. Talon PV will integrate its own specific machinery with the institute’s existing equipment to replicate the production line that will be used at its 4GW facility in the US.
Dr Jochen Rentsch, Head of Photovoltaic Technology Transfer at Fraunhofer ISE, explained that replicating the line for Talon PV will enable the optimisation of new products and processes prior to full production, delivering time and cost savings. He added that Fraunhofer ISE will continue TOPCon cell research and development at the Freiburg pilot line even after Talon PV’s 4GW plant reaches full capacity.
Adam Tesanovich, Talon PV’s co-founder and chief executive officer, confirmed that the company intends to launch G12-sized TOPCon solar cells, currently the most advanced cell technology, while preparing for next-generation solutions, notably perovskite/silicon tandem cells.
Talon PV has also secured a supply agreement with SEG Solar, which shipped its first batch of large-scale ground-mounted photovoltaic modules from its Texas manufacturing plant earlier this year and is developing a vertically integrated base in Indonesia.
This comes at a time when TOPCon technology is becoming mainstream in the global solar supply chain and sparking multiple patent disputes in the US. To avoid such legal challenges, some manufacturers, including ES Foundry and Suniva, have opted for the older PERC cell technology, despite the industry-wide shift towards more advanced solutions.
This collaboration between Fraunhofer ISE and Talon PV is expected to accelerate the development of TOPCon technology, driving technological progress and capacity growth across the solar energy sector.
Scan the QR code to follow PVTIME official account on Wechat for latest news on PV+ES
 has announced plans to construct a pilot production line for TOPCon solar cells, designed to support US manufacturer Talon…){kind=link}