Could JinkoSolar’s new Tiger Neo modules be MENA’s solar panels of the future? N-type TOPCon solar panels are seeing increased demand among global solar producers — and could even outpace demand for traditional p-type PERC products within three years, head of MENA product management at Chinese solar panel manufacturing heavyweight JinkoSolar Mohamed Saady Dweik recently told pv magazine. The Chinese manufacturer, rated AA in the 2022 PV ModuleTech Bankability Ratings, is now poised to orient its future strategy around its new Tiger Neo modules, launched in November 2021.

Tiger Neo modules are primarily geared towards industry or utility-scale systems, notes a recent Solar Analytica review.

They score highly on overall efficiency: The Tiger Neo modules were immediately deemed “ultra-efficient” in a November Solar Power World review, which noted they’ve made “further enhancements in performance, power, energy density and reliability” to existing n-type TOPCon technology.

As well as ticking the power output and conversion efficiency boxes: The new Tiger Neo modules deliver on both power output and conversion efficiency, according to reviewers. “In mass production, the new [Tiger Neo] module delivers a maximum power output of up to 620 W and an ultra-high conversion efficiency of up to 22.30%,” says the Solar Power World review. A May 2022 ranking of the top ten solar panels available globally, by non-profit Solar Edition, puts two Tiger Neo modules in its top five: the Tiger Neo 480 W panels with 22.24% conversion efficiency come in at number two, and the Tiger Neo 615 W panels with 22% conversion efficiency come in at number four.

They get kudos for innovative design… Solar Analytica bestows glowing praise on the module design, saying it’s not a question of whether Tiger Neo will be awarded a major international citation for its design — but about how many awards it will bag.

And, of course, price: Jinko Tiger Neo will “likely be outstanding for the price, mainly due to the economies of scale Jinko tends to do so well at,” notes Solar Analytica. While n-type modules remain more expensive than their p-type counterparts, JinkoSolar found that by reducing the price gap between the two, they could bring down the levelized cost of electricity for producers and consumers. “This was enough for the market to adopt [the n-type],” Waleed AlHallaj, business development manager, JinkoSolar MENA, in a recent conversation with Utilities magazine.

Overall, “n-type TOPCon currently has a clear edge in mass manufacturing efficiency, cost control, and market share,” according to a March post in Solar Analytica. The n-type’s recent “remarkable cell performance” is in large part due to its superior temperature coefficient, Solar Analytica notes. While the p-type module typically has a coefficient range of -0.34%/ °C to -0.36%/ °C, Tiger Neo has a temperature coefficient of -0.30%/ °C, Solar Analytica adds.

Here also, Tiger Neo delivers: Tiger Neo solar modules combine reliability and low degradation with high-energy yield performance, according to a March 2022 JinkoSolar press release published by Bloomberg. Its low temperature coefficient makes Tiger Neo well placed to withstand extreme and high-temperature environments, notes Solar Power World.

JinkoSolar is planning a total switch to n-type TOPCon modules in the coming years: At the beginning of 2022, JinkoSolar allocated 10GW — some 25% — of its total manufacturing capacity for the year to n-type TOPCon modules, said Dweik. By the end of the year, this could increase to 70-80%, said AlHallaj.

“Without a doubt, within 2023, we see ourselves focusing on our new Tiger Neo, to maintain our position as the biggest global supplier of this technology,” added AlHallaj.