Chinese solar manufacturer Longi has released the first detailed technical explanation of how it built the world’s most efficient silicon solar cell. This achievement was first announced in April 2025 and was certified by Germany’s Institute for Solar Energy Research Hamelin (ISFH).
The company’s new scientific paper, published in Nature, reveals that its hybrid interdigitated back-contact (HIBC) solar cell achieved a record-breaking efficiency of 27.81%, marking a major step forward for silicon photovoltaics.
At the time of the announcement, Longi had only shared that the cell represented the highest efficiency ever reported for a silicon device. PV Magazine reported that the result came from redesigning both the architecture and the material stack to improve optical and electrical performance, but no deeper explanation was provided. The new publication finally reveals the full structure and the complex engineering behind this milestone.
Pretty damn neat.
If it’s expensive, I would still think that people needing to charge cars, power up boats or supply electricity to high altitude pseudo-satellites (read: balloons that are permanently up there) or satellites will buy some.
If the price drops, solar power with far less surface is nice to have elsewhere too.
(Myself, I’ve sometimes thought of autonomous communications networks entirely powered by the sun, no grid required. The efficiency of solar panels, or the lack of it, has been a considerable obstacle in calculations.)
