Chinese solar panel manufacturer JA Solar, together with equipment supplier Gold Stone Energy, announced that it has achieved a world-record energy conversion efficiency of 28.2% for a hybrid back-contact solar cell Hybrid Back Contact (HBC). The record was achieved as part of a project to create a new HyperGen module platform and to organize mass production of HBC cells.
The result was verified by the German company TÜV Rheinland and recognized as a world record among single-junction silicon solar cells. Previously, the top result belonged to LONGi, which reported 28.13% for its hybrid HIBC cell in April, while almost simultaneously Trina Solar announced 28.0% efficiency for its hybrid THBC cells compatible with TOPCon technology.
These achievements reflect the industry’s growing interest in back-contact designs, which maximize conversion efficiency and module power density for single-junction photovoltaic cells. The two most efficient mass-produced solar modules to date are also based on BC technology.
HBC technology combines:
- back-contact electrode design
- passivation methods characteristic of high-efficiency HJT and TOPCon cells ✅
providing an “ideal combination” of three key solutions. The absence of front-side metal grids reduces optical losses, while the back contact improves current collection.
Switching to HBC products requires only a partial upgrade of existing TOPCon lines without building new manufacturing facilities. In 2025, JA Solar ranked 3–4 among the world’s largest solar panel suppliers, and ongoing innovation in components continues to reduce capital expenditure and the cost of generated energy. ⚡️