The 17th International Conference and Exhibition on Photovoltaics and Smart Energy (SNEC PV+ 2024), the world’s largest exhibition on photovoltaics, was held from June 11-15 in Shanghai.  This year, the SNEC exhibition venue was changed and expanded, increasing the total area by 1.5 times to 400,000 m² from the previous 270,000 m². Over 500,000 people visited the exbition during June 13 ~15, which covered the entire photovoltaic supply chain, including solar cell products, inverters, energy storage systems, raw materials, manufacturing equipment, racks, system integration, and O&M. Many of the world’s most advanced technologies and products were showcased.

The 15 halls, named GCL, HUAWEI, Sungrow, CATL, Hoshine, Tongwei, and LONGi, were categorized by product and service, and even the 50 m² large booths in these halls were crowded with people, making it challenging to see the product and technology panels over their heads.

In the Solar Cells and Panels & EPC halls, companies that originally manufactured wafers and cells and have also started producing modules showcased their new products with eye-catching demonstrations to show their momentum, while major photovoltaic module manufacturers which are building vertically integrated production systems introduced the total solution proposals combining storage batteries and EMS have also increased.

The focus of solar cell technology is rapidly shifting from PERC (p-type Si) to TOPCon (n-type Si), with most solar cell manufacturers exhibiting modules using TOPCon as their main products. As flagship products, they competed for high performance with heterojunction (HJT) or back-contact (BC) modules. Cell sizes of 182mm to 210mm have become mainstream, with smaller sizes nearly disappearing, and half-cuts used in modules have become the standard. The adoption of 0BB (or No Busbar, NBB) cell connection technology to improve efficiency is also increasing. The output of photovoltaic modules exceeded 700W, and products with efficiencies exceeding 24% were introduced by various companies.

The number of proposals for solar panels that meet the needs of installers, which previously focused mostly on larger PV modules in pursuit of high output and high efficiency, were increased. Among the proposals, proposals on residential were increased, reflecting the demands of the residential and building markets not only in China but also in Europe.

Colored and small-sized modules with various colors and shapes for building installations stood out.

Many booths showcased modules with frame shapes designed to make dust flow off more easily for use in dusty areas. Lightweight and flexible modules made of crystalline Si (without film-sealed frames), which can be installed on roofs by reducing load were also exhibited in many booths.  The flexible modules that can be installed on the curved roofs and the crystalline Si cells that can be bent to a radius of 3 cm were shown in the booths.

Lightweight PV modules with wider cell spacing within the module to increase light transmission for use in agriculture (greenhouses) were also displayed. Regarding perovskite solar cells, prototypes of perovskite Si tandem modules were exhibited, and several equipment manufacturers showcased their manufacturing equipment.

 PV Modules were exhibited to suit different installation environments and locations. Previously, the number of floating PV module presentation was limited, but several companies presented marine/offshore-use modules this time, indicating a rapid increase in offshore installed PV power generation is expected.