On the floor at SNEC 2026 in Shanghai, the world’s largest solar and energy storage trade show, one trend is clear: standard silicon module efficiencies continue to rise. Modules with 25% efficiency are now commonplace, while 23% has effectively become the floor and 24% the mainstream product level.

Two years ago, at Intersolar Munich, Aiko Solar introduced what was then the market’s first 25% solar module. At this year’s SNEC, the company presented a 25.6% module and indicated further efficiency gains ahead.

Nearby, JinkoSolar showcased several high-efficiency products. Among them was a 25.17% “AIDC” module, a data-center-focused panel based on the Tiger Neo 3.0 platform launched at SNEC. Canadian Solar, exhibiting nearby, displayed a 25.2% module. One hall over, Lingi presented a 25.5% product.

The focus on efficiency is significant because it effectively reduces the cost contribution of all other system components. For example, if a single module produces twice the energy output, the value of labor is effectively doubled, as installation work delivers twice the lifetime energy per installed unit.

Module efficiency, driven by cell efficiency, is directly linked to lower levelized cost of electricity (LCOE). “In the solar industry, conversion efficiency is a defining metric. Each one-point increase in cell efficiency translates into more than a 5% reduction in system costs,” said Li Zhenguo, founder and president of Longi.

In China, this focus on efficiency dates back to the Top Runner program, introduced in the second half of the 2010s. The program set minimum module efficiency thresholds of 17% to 18%. At the time, efficiency records were held by mono-PERC products.

High-efficiency modules are not limited to the largest manufacturers. Increasingly, companies are collaborating with wafer and cell suppliers to assemble co-developed platforms.

At the show, Huayao PV presented its HY500-B96EDD module, a 500 W product with 25.02% efficiency, while Suntech displayed a co-branded 680 W / 25.2% module. Hanersun—also co-branding on the Suntech unit—showcased a 680 W module at 25.2% efficiency.

While these modules do not share identical SKUs, they likely reflect shared underlying cell platforms.

25% is not the ceiling

Across both announcements and exhibition floors, even higher efficiencies are emerging.

Three recent solar cells have surpassed 28% efficiency, from Trina Solar, LONGi, and JA Solar. All three rely on back-contact architectures. Trina’s approach is described as TOPCon-compatible hybrid back-contact (THBC), Longii’s as hybrid interdigitated back-contact (HIBC), and JA Solar’s as hybrid back-contact (HBC).

At its booth, JA Solar demonstrated a record cell integrated into a module with 26% efficiency. A company representative said the product is not yet in mass production but is expected to enter production soon.

Longi stated that modules based on its hybrid interdigitated back-contact (HIBC) cells have reached 26.4% efficiency under certification. This module is currently the world’s most efficient silicon module on record, for now.

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