ANU and Indosol Solar Join Forces to Accelerate Next-Generation TOPCon Solar Cell Technology
Hyderabad, Sept 15 (TNT): The Australian National University (ANU) and Indosol Solar Private Limited have signed a strategic Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) and collaboration agreement to accelerate the development and commercial-scale deployment of next-generation Tunnel Oxide Passivated Contact (TOPCon) silicon solar cell technologies.
Indosol Solar Private Limited is a renewable energy equipment manufacturing company based in Hyderabad, Telangana, and a subsidiary of Shirdi Sai Electricals Limited (SSEL)
The partnership, facilitated by the India-Australia Technology Commercialisation Challenge (TCC) Pilot Program, brings together ANU’s photovoltaics research capabilities and Indosol Solar’s giga-scale manufacturing facility in Andhra Pradesh.
Under the collaboration, the two organisations will work on advanced TOPCon cell architectures aimed at improving conversion efficiency and resistance to degradation while reducing the levelised cost of electricity (LCOE) for solar power projects, the Hyderabad based company said in a release here on Tuesday.
ANU researchers will work with Indosol’s process teams to optimise manufacturing processes for advanced N-type TOPCon solar cells and accelerate the transfer of laboratory-level innovations to manufacturing lines.
The research will target conversion efficiencies beyond standard TOPCon baselines as well as improved resistance to light- and UV-induced degradation, according to the release.
The agreement will also facilitate researcher exchanges, joint research and hands-on knowledge sharing between the two organisations. ANU’s advanced cell designs will be validated on Indosol Solar’s integrated manufacturing lines in India, providing a pathway for their commercial deployment.
The collaboration is supported by bilateral innovation frameworks, including the India-Australia Technology Commercialisation Challenge, and is aimed at strengthening clean-energy technology and supply-chain cooperation between the two countries.
ANU photovoltaic researchers Dr Rabin Basnet and Dr Marco Ernst said the partnership would help translate advanced TOPCon innovations into gigawatt-scale production and contribute to the deployment of high-efficiency solar technology in the Indian PV market.
Indosol Solar’s Dr Balachander Krishnan said the collaboration with ANU would help the company remain at the forefront of TOPCon and next-generation solar technologies and support the production of high-efficiency modules for domestic and international markets.
ANU, based in Canberra, is recognised for research in silicon solar cells, advanced characterisation and high-efficiency contact technologies.
Indosol Solar is establishing a vertically integrated solar PV manufacturing facility in Andhra Pradesh, with operations covering N-type TOPCon ingots, wafers, cells and high-efficiency modules.
The Technology Commercialisation Challenge Pilot Program is part of the India-Australia Renewable Energy Partnership and is funded by Australia’s Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water and delivered by CSIRO.
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