ITRI and Partners Form Alliance to Tackle Next-Generation Solar Technology

The Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI) officially announced today that it has joined forces with leading domestic solar industry players, including Yuanjing, to establish the "Tunnel Oxide Passivated Back-Contact Photovoltaic Technology Alliance." The formation of this alliance marks a new phase in Taiwan’s research, development, and industrialization of high-efficiency solar cells. Its primary objective is to accelerate the commercial application of indigenous key technologies, thereby building a highly autonomous and resilient green energy supply chain in Taiwan. As the global push toward net-zero carbon emissions intensifies, solar photovoltaics, as a major pillar of renewable energy, have seen technological iteration and improvements in conversion efficiency become strategic battlegrounds worldwide.

In the current global solar market competition, traditional cell technologies are facing bottlenecks in conversion efficiency. "Tunnel Oxide Passivated Back-Contact" (TBC) technology is gradually emerging as one of the mainstream development directions for next-generation high-efficiency cells. By utilizing specific material structures and precise optical design, this technology effectively reduces energy loss during the photovoltaic conversion process, significantly enhancing the overall power generation efficiency of the cells. However, transitioning such advanced technologies from the laboratory to large-scale mass production requires overcoming multiple technical challenges, including material compatibility, process equipment adjustments, and yield improvement. These hurdles are difficult for a single enterprise to overcome quickly to achieve economies of scale.

In response, ITRI has leveraged its role as an industry-academia-research hub to invite major domestic solar module and cell manufacturers, including Yuanjing, to co-organize the alliance, aiming to capitalize on the advantages of resource integration and collaborative efforts. Through the platform of the technology alliance, industry participants can share R&D resources, align upstream material and downstream application needs, and accelerate the resolution of bottlenecks encountered during the pilot production phase. This not only helps shorten the time gap between R&D and marketization but also ensures that Taiwan remains competitive in the next generation of solar photovoltaic technologies, potentially seizing the initiative in key technologies on the international stage.

From the perspective of Taiwan’s overall industrial strategy and energy security, building a resilient green energy supply chain is of irreplaceable urgency. In the past, Taiwan’s solar industry has faced intense cost competition pressure in the international market. Over-reliance on foreign key components or technology licensing has made it vulnerable to passivity amid geopolitical tensions and supply chain disruption risks. By establishing the TBC technology alliance and promoting the localization and autonomy of key technologies, Taiwan can not only enhance the added value of its domestic manufacturing sector but also ensure stable and independent green energy hardware support during its energy transition, thereby mitigating the impact of external environmental changes.

Looking ahead, as the TBC Photovoltaic Technology Alliance enters full operation, a series of concrete industrialization outcomes are expected to emerge, driving simultaneous upgrades among domestic equipment, materials, and system integrators. This technological innovation, launched by ITRI and industry-academia-research partners such as Yuanjing, represents not only a significant milestone for Taiwan’s solar industry in pursuing high performance but also lays a more solid foundation for Taiwan’s path toward a green economy and sustainable development. Against the backdrop of continuously expanding global demand for green energy, whether Taiwan can reshape its competitive advantage through this wave of technological upgrading will remain a key focus for all sectors.

(Source: CNA)