Australia’s sole PV producer Tindo Solar has launched a new range of n-type TOPCon modules aimed at rooftop applications.
The Adelaide-based company said the latest products in its ‘Walara’ range of panels were available as a standard 440W format and a 475W, all-black seamless model.
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Tindo said the new modules were the most powerful residential modules produced yet in Australia: “The n-type cell chemistry means more power, and the format sees the inclusion of a slightly larger solar cell and an increase in busbar from 10 to 16, which increases efficiency.”
The modules have been certified by Australia’s accreditation body, the Clean Energy Council, after being subjected to extensive independent testing for cyclone, hail, damp heat and a thermal range of -40-85 degress Celsius. Tindo said its modules are put through a seven-point process to ensure “Zero-Defect” manufacturing. This produces a failure rate of one in every 200,000, which is around 200 times better than the industry average, Tindo claimed.
As Australia’s only PV module producer, Tindo has been an early beneficiary of the federal government’s Solar Sunshot programme, an AU$1 billion (US$651 million) initiative to support the country’s domestic PV manufacturing industry.
Earlier this month the company revealed that it had received AU$34.5 million in the initial allocation of Sunshot funding, which it said it would use to increase its module production capacity from 20MW to 180MW per year and upgrade its production facility. Part of this upgrade included plans to introduce a premium n-type offering to its range.
Tindo chief executive Richard Petterson said the new Walara panels were the result of a combined effort between Tindo’s in-house engineering and R&D, input from installer partners, external research teams and the best technology from global supply chains.
“We service the premium solar panel market, which means our design and engineering teams have built the best reliability, efficiency and durability into these Walara panels. The development of the two latest panels in the Walara series is a direct reflection of the feedback shared by our customers,” he said.
Among its partners, Tindo has been working with researchers at the University of New South Wales to advance TOPCon cell performance.
Among the objectives of the joint research was improving TOPCon performance in Australia’s many harsh weather conditions.
