The 0BB technology, which is highly discussed in the photovoltaic industry, is being eagerly deployed by many leading companies

   As the latest welding technology for photovoltaics, the 0BB process has attracted industry attention for its ability to significantly

increase power and reduce costs.

   The so-called 0BB refers to the "no main gate" technology. BB stands for "Busbar", which is the main grid on photovoltaic cells.

The number in front represents the number of main gates.

   The 0BB (Zero Busbar) technology of photovoltaic cells is an innovative cell structure design that eliminates the traditional main

grid line on the front of solar cells and instead adopts a more refined interconnection method to collect and transmit current, in

order to reduce shading losses, increase effective illumination area, and reduce silver paste consumption, thereby improving cell

efficiency and reducing costs.

   Since last year, leading companies in the photovoltaic industry such as Trina Solar, Tongwei Co., Ltd., Jinko Solar, Chint New Energy,

Atlas, Dongfang Risheng, and Aixu Co., Ltd. have been vigorously researching 0BB technology and have high expectations for it. In

its 2023 annual report, Ates stated that "with the continuous development of photovoltaic technology and changing market

demand, 0BB technology is expected to become one of the mainstream technologies in the photovoltaic industry in the future

  So, what is 0BB technology? Why is 0BB technology on the rise? What impact will it have on the industry?

Why 0BB?

  Why are photovoltaic companies no longer obsessed with increasing the number of main gates, but instead flock to the 0BB

technology that completely removes the main gates?

   In summary, compared with existing SMBBs, 0BB technology mainly has the following advantages:

   One is the increase in power. Whether it is 2BB or later MBB and SMBB, the main gate attached to the surface of the battery cell

will obstruct the battery cell. Removing the main gate reduces the shading area and increases the power generation. In addition,

the solder joints in 0BB technology are more densely distributed on the battery cells. Compared to SMBB, the transmission path

of current in the thin grid in 0BB is shorter, which further reduces power loss. Recently, Aixu, a leading enterprise in the field of

photovoltaic modules, revealed at its press conference that the combination of 0BB technology and ABC's high conversion

efficiency advantage will increase the overall power of Aixu's ABC series products by 5W.

   The second is cost reduction. Traditional grid lines are made of silver paste. In the non silicon cost of photovoltaic cells, silver paste

accounts for about 35%, which is the highest proportion of non silicon cost items. According to the World Silver Association, the

global demand for photovoltaic silver will reach 6017 tons in 2023, a year-on-year increase of 64%. The global demand for

photovoltaic silver is expected to increase by 20% to 7217 tons in 2024. However, the consistently high silver prices have brought

considerable pressure to the photovoltaic cell manufacturing industry, with domestic silver prices rising by over 30% since October

last year. The 0BB technology removes the main gate, which can reduce the overall cost of photovoltaic cells by lowering non silicon

costs. According to industry experts, 0BB technology will reduce battery silver paste consumption by 20% -40%. According to

research by Dongwu Securities, after the application of 0BB technology, the cost of silver paste with different technologies can be

reduced to 1-6 cents/W. Among them, PERC is 0.03 yuan/W and TOPCon is 0.01 yuan/W. HJT is currently recognized as the

technology route with a large amount of silver paste, so the cost reduction effect of 0BB is also quite significant, which can reduce

0.04-0.06 yuan/W.

   The third is higher quality. In 0BB technology, due to the smaller and more numerous solder joints, the stress distribution of the

battery is more uniform, thereby reducing the fragmentation rate, gate breakage rate, and hidden cracks of the battery cells,

resulting in an increase in product yield. Moreover, due to uniform stress, thinner silicon wafers can be used for 0BB batteries.

Industry experts have stated that silicon wafers using 0BB technology can be as thin as 100 μ m.

   Initiate a new round of technological competition

   0BB has obvious advantages and has become a hot topic in the next round of technological competition. Wang Shujuan, an expert

in the photovoltaic industry and founder of Zhihui Photovoltaic, believes that in 2024, the '0BB technology' that eliminates the

main gate and significantly reduces silver paste consumption is sparking a new round of technological innovation to reduce costs

and increase efficiency.

   Whether it's TOPCon, HJT, or BC, most industry leaders have already started laying out in 0BB technology.

   TOPCon's leading enterprise, Jinko Solar, stated at a performance briefing on April 23rd that "the company has completed the full

introduction of laser assisted sintering technology this year, and the 0BB technology has completed preliminary testing, which can

significantly improve power and reduce costs. It will be gradually introduced according to the company's plan

   A new N-type technology product DAON3.0, equipped with TOPCon3.0 plus, was released in August last year. It is called "BBF" and

is actually 0BB, which is an efficient BBF without a main grid component.

   HJT enterprises are more enthusiastic about developing 0BB technology. Due to the higher consumption of silver paste in the HJT

technology route, the cost reduction of 0BB technology for HJT is more significant, and it is considered to be the key breakthrough

for HJT enterprises in the technology route competition. As early as April 2023, Dongfang Risheng's 4GW high-efficiency 25.5%

heterojunction 0BB battery had been fully connected. On April 18th of this year, Huasheng New Energy, the largest production

capacity enterprise of HJT, also released a new 0BB heterojunction component. It is reported that the cost savings for a single tile

in the slurry end are over 4 cents.

   Although companies are chasing after each other in the development and application of 0BB technology, there are still many

problems that need to be solved, including how to ensure welding consistency and how to detect efficiency.

   One of the more urgent challenges is the reliability brought by 0BB technology.

   At present, the mainstream fine grid and solder joints are a combination of silver and glass, with a loose and unstable structure,

while the solder strips are made of copper. Silver and copper have different chemical and physical properties, and it is difficult to

weld them together firmly. Once there is external tension or thermal expansion and contraction, the two can easily detach, and the

photovoltaic cell cannot work.

   Regarding this issue, some companies have introduced countermeasures based on innovative manufacturing processes.

   The 0BB technology launched by BC Enterprise for the ABC technology route has become the pioneering enterprise in the entire BC

route. Xia Hengliang, Vice General Manager of Aixu Co., Ltd., believes that the application of 0BB technology in BC components will

make the high reliability advantage of BC components more prominent.

   At present, with the expiration of SmartWire patents, multiple domestic enterprises have begun to lay out 0BB technology, indicating

that this technology may be widely applied in the photovoltaic industry. For the photovoltaic industry, the industrialization of 0BB

technology not only means a reduction in costs, but may also bring about an improvement in the overall production efficiency and

product performance of the industry.

   In summary, the layout and application of 0BB technology is an important direction for technological progress in the photovoltaic

industry, and is expected to have a profound impact on the industry's cost structure and competitive landscape.

   Zhongbu Qingtian New Energy is a high-tech enterprise specializing in the research and development of photovoltaic module

automation production line equipment. Through long-term market research and customer feedback, the company has developed

six advanced and highly compatible equipment, including BC high-speed serial welding machine, BC low-speed serial welding

machine, BC high-speed non-destructive cutting machine, BC low-speed non-destructive cutting machine, cutting and welding

integrated machine, and laser frame marking machine, to meet the diverse needs of the market. The product is independently

developed and designed, providing customers with one-on-one differentiated customization to help enterprises achieve production

capacity improvement.