The three Chinese solar panel manufacturers JA Solar, Jinko Solar and Longi have reached an agreement on module size and the distance between mounting holes. The consensus reached by the companies announced the standardization of photovoltaic modules produced with 182 mm wafers (M10).
Under the agreement, 54-cell panels will have to measure 1.722 × 1.134 mm and have a mounting hole distance of 1.400 mm and 72-cell products will have a size of 2.278 × 1.134 mm and the same mounting hole distance as the than 54-cell modules.
Additionally, the 78-cell panels must measure 2.465 × 1.134 mm and have a mounting hole distance of 400 mm to 1.500 mm. The new parameters aim to standardize component specifications to reduce manufacturing costs and simplify design and installation in downstream businesses, the three companies said.
A solution found for the differences in the pace of technological advancement, in the design concept and in the installation method that different manufacturers follow. So standards for the same type of modules vary in their lengths, widths and distances between mounting holes despite being based on the same M10 cell size technology.
“Since the joint launch of the M10 size cell standard by JA Solar, Jinko Solar and Longi Solar in June 2020, the wafer size has been gaining widespread recognition and acceptance in the photovoltaic industry,” the statement said.
In November 2020, the three manufacturers declared that their combined production capacity for 182mm wafer-based photovoltaic panels would reach 54 GW in 2021.
An answer
The standardization of panel sizes is very good.