Maxeon Solar Technologies, Ltd. has extended its technology leadership with published results confirming the resilience of its Maxeon Interdigitated Back Contact (IBC) panels against damaging hotspots. Hotspots are concentrated areas of heat energy that predominantly result from shaded or cracked solar cells. In a white paper released, the Company shared the results of its internal research and development (R&D) study on hotspots, featuring Maxeon IBC panels including its new Maxeon 7 line, alongside a series of competing technologies comprising half-cell ribbon-based back contact, half-cell heterojunction (HJT), and half-cell front contact tunnel oxide passivated contact (TOPCon) panels.  Maxeon IBC panels provide solar customers with safer, more reliable energy that mitigates the development of extreme hotspots that can irreparably damage standard panels.

Maxeon's resiliency against hotspots builds on its long history of delivering the industry's most advanced solar panels, optimizing the balance between product performance and reliability?a critical factor in being the only manufacturer to offer a comprehensive 40-year warranty on its panels. Maxeon's engineering team carried out the competitive assessment at the company's R&D test lab in California, USA. Panels were tested first under full-sun conditions to determine the speed and severity at which hotspots can form as solar cells then become partially shaded?a state of operation that forces cells to begin converting power from surrounding cells into heat energy.

Maxeon 7 IBC panels were found to mitigate the long-term degradation risk of panel materials by better minimizing that heat build-up in shaded cells?staying an average of 67 °C (153 °F) cooler than the ribbon-based back contact, HJT and TOPCon technologies tested. Additionally, when subjected to simulated bypass diode failure?the primary defense mechanism of standard solar panels against hotspots?the patented electrical architecture of the Maxeon IBC cell continued to limit heat build-up in the shaded cells. As a result, Maxeon IBC panels were inherently protected from the severe backsheet discoloration, bubbling, and burning that was witnessed in the standard ribbon-based back contact, HJT, and TOPCon panels under the same test conditions.

As competitive technologies rapidly spiraled toward complete panel failure, Maxeon 7 IBC panels maintained a stable temperature in the shaded cell, even without the protection of the bypass diode.