First Ever Utility Project with New LONGi Hi-MO 9 Technology Underway

LONGi Solar is shipping the first commercial order globally of its new Hi-MO 9 solar module to France. LONGi France’s customer will install 16MW capacity of modules in a large-scale, ground-mounted, French utility project. Delivering up to 24.43% efficiency, the Hi-MO 9 represents a groundbreaking performance for photovoltaic module technology.

Back-Contact technology and new wafer deliver efficiency increase

In evaluating the reliability of LONGi products, the customer pointed particularly to the performance of the Hi-MO 9, the manufacturer’s latest back-contact module. The module is based on LONGi’s proprietary N-type, high-quality, silicon “TaiRay” wafer. With the higher efficiency rate, the new module is able to generate more electricity from a limited land surface, thus also optimizing BOS costs and validating the high expectations for back-contact technology. 

“The LONGi Hi-MO 9 modules will get us significantly more Wp in our plant than traditional modules on the market. The lower temperature coefficient of this new technology also enables us to deliver more energy to the grid—especially during the summer,” explained the Hi-MO 9 customer’s Purchasing Director. “If we look forward to more than 30 years of this new plant’s operation, that is a substantial gain compared to what other solar panel manufacturers are offering.” 

Market for photovoltaics and solar energy growing in France

LONGi has an extensive history of cooperation with this customer, who is remaining anonymous to safeguard their technological edge. Expanding rapidly from its current size of just over 21GW total capacity, the French solar energy market is expected to about double by 2030, with competition intensifying.

Hi-MO 9 technology offers more power in same footprint

The new module’s performance was in part achieved by enhancing the cell’s passivation performance and light absorption capabilities. The module’s power has been increased by 30W compared to TOPCon modules of the same size. This means a boost of the overall capacity of the power plant by 5% and a significant reduction in rack and installation costs. The Hi-MO 9’s power generation capacity over the same land area is 6.5 to 8% higher, again relative to TOPCon.

New LONGi “Lighthouse Factory” boosts product quality and consistency

Produced in an advanced new facility, LONGi’s Lighthouse Factory in Jiaxing, the Hi-MO 9 benefits from intelligent manufacturing features. From AI to large-scale data analysis to the use of IoT and digital twins, these features help ensure an ultra-high level of consistency through the production process. The first Lighthouse Factory in the photovoltaics industry, LONGi’s new center has resulted in a 43% increase in product quality and reliability, combined with an 84% reduction in the cycle time for both production and delivery of the modules made there. Motivated by the complex and diverse needs of customers worldwide to build a smarter, more agile factory, LONGi was also impelled by the challenge of securing consistency across many far-flung production bases.