There is little question that the solar market in general has thus far shown a growing preference for the LONGi?Hi-MO 4 module with M6 wafer (166mm), but there are nevertheless still some in the PV industry who have an ambiguous attitude towards the product. In this article, we have put together a Q&A list on the LONGi Hi-MO 4 and trust that this will provide a more systematic and in-depth understanding of its background and benefits.
Why has LONGi chosen the M6 wafer (166mm)
specification for the Hi-MO 4 module?
Figure 1: The reasons for choosing the M6 wafer
(166mm) for Hi-MO4
The
cost saving and compatibility advantages of the M6 wafer (166mm) are achieved at
both the manufacturing end of the industrial chain and the application end of
the system. For the cost saving on the system side, the fundamental reason is
that the increase of current basically makes use of the margin of the current
commercial inverter and increases the capacity of a single string for
unchanged Voc (the string length is unchanged). Since M6 bifacial modules fully
utilize the current margin of the inverter, any wafer larger than M6 will limit
the inverter’s current and lead to a loss in power generation. Although new module
circuit design can reduce current, the benefit in BOS cost will disappear when compared
with M6 modules.
How has the LONGi Hi-MO 4 module evolved?
Figure
2: Upgraded Hi-MO4
LONGi
optimized the design size of the Hi-MO 4 module earlier this year. The size of the
72 cell module changed to 2094 * 1038mm.
The efficiency of mass produced modules exceeded 20% across the board, and that of the 450W module reached 20.7%. The improvement in efficiency brings
further BOS cost savings, and the land area occupied by a power station is also
significantly reduced.
What is the difference in BOS cost between the
LONGi Hi-MO 4 module and modules of
other specifications?
Figure 3: Comparison of main products in market
(Bifacial Module)
With a 72
cell module with a 158.75mm silicon
wafer, at a power station adopting a centralized inverter and fixed bracket
configuration, the BOS cost of the Hi-MO 4 can be reduced by 0.65 US cents/W.
Although the power of a 78 cell module is equal to that of the Hi-MO 4, the
reduction in the number of series connections leads to a significant gap
between the cost saving of its BOS and that of Hi-MO 4.
Figure 4: BOS cost comparison (Using string
inverter)
At a power
station adopting string inverters, the BOS cost of Hi-MO 4 can be reduced by 0.86
US cents/W due to the increase of capacity ratio.
LONGi’s Hi-MO 4 module is obviously larger.
Can it really reduce installation costs?
Figure 5: Workers installing the LONGi Hi-MO 4 module with ease on a fixed bracket.
Obviously,
a high power module with an M6 wafer (166mm) brings higher power generation gains
and lower BOS costs in practical application. But will the increase in module size
and weight make the actual installation more difficult? Will it add more
installation costs?
According
to detailed research, there is no obvious difference between a Hi-MO 4 module and a conventional
module in terms of handling, upper bracket and installation work. However, due
to the increase in power of a single Hi-MO
4 module, the number of modules required is lower, meaning that installation
effort is reduced, efficiency improved, and the overall construction period shortened,
significantly lowering overall installation costs.
What is the market performance of the LONGi
Hi-MO 4 module?
LONGi’s
Hi-MO 4 module has been in a state of relatively short supply since it was launched,
with more than 10GW of cumulative orders and letters of intent. Shipments in
2019 reached 1.5GW. Projects where the Hi-MO
4 module has already been utilized cover, among other territories, all
regions of China, Bangladesh and Vietnam. Feedback from customers and EPCs has
generally been that significant savings have been seen in most aspects of the construction
process.
The
market response to Hi-MO 4 has been extremely positive. In 2020, the capacity
of the module will exceed 20GW, ensuring stable global supply.
After
continuous optimization, the Hi-MO 4 module has an impressive mass production
version, with a further reduction in weight. With the addition of bifacial technology,?? BOS and LCOE costs have also been lowered. The
LONGi Hi-MO 4 module has quickly become the preferred choice for global clients,
especially for large-scale PV power plant investors, and has demonstrated huge
investment value worldwide.
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