Energetica India Magazine March - April 2026

As the industry moves forward, the shift toward N-type technologies is expected to accelerate. TOPCon is already becoming the preferred choice for new manufacturing capacity globally, and its compatibility with future innovations such as tandem cell architectures makes it a strong foundation for continued efficiency improvements. India’s energy transition is entering a defining decade. Under the vision of Viksit Bharat , the country has set an ambitious target of achieving 500 GW of non-fossil fuel capacity by 2030, with solar expected to contribute the largest share. Looking further ahead to 2047, when India marks 100 years of indepen- dence—the goal is not just energy security, but global leader- ship in clean energy manufacturing and technology. In this context, the evolution of solar module efficiency is no longer a technical conversation alone; it is central to how quickly and cost-effectively India can scale its renewable am- bitions. The rise of N-type Tunnel Oxide Passivated Contact (TOPCon) technology is emerging as a critical enabler of this transition, particularly for utility-scale solar. Reimagining the Foundation: N-Type Cell Architecture Conventional solar manufacturing has long relied on P-type silicon wafers. However, these cells are inherently prone to light-induced degradation (LID) and other recombination losses that limit long-term performance. N-type silicon, by contrast, uses phosphorus doping, making it immune to LID and significantly more stable over time. TOPCon technology builds on this by introducing a thin tunnelling oxide layer and a doped polysilicon contact, which together reduce electron re- combination and improve carrier selectivity. This allows more generated electrons to be captured as usable current, improv- ing both efficiency and durability. For India, where solar plants are often deployed in high-tem- perature and high-irradiation zones, these material advantages are particularly relevant. Lower degradation and better ther- mal performance translate into more predictable energy out- put over decades. GREW Solar has aligned its manufacturing roadmap with this structural shift toward N-type technologies. By investing in advanced cell architectures and process optimisation, the company is focusing on delivering modules that are not only efficient at the outset but maintain performance consistency across India’s diverse climatic conditions. This is critical for large-scale developers who are increasingly prioritising lifecycle performance over upfront cost. Efficiency Gains Over PERC: A Necessary Leap for Scale PERC technology has served the industry well, with commer- cial module efficiencies typically ranging between 20–21 per- cent. However, as India scales toward hundreds of gigawatts, incremental gains are no longer sufficient. N-type TOPCon modules are now consistently achieving mod- ule efficiencies exceeding 22 percent, with cell efficiencies cross- ing 25 percent in production environments. While a 1–2 per- centage point improvement may appear modest, at the scale of utility projects, this translates into significantly higher energy generation per unit of land. India faces increasing land constraints for large solar parks. Higher efficiency modules enable more capacity to be installed within the same footprint, directly supporting the country’s 2030 targets. GREW Solar is leveraging TOPCon technology to enhance module efficiency while maintaining manufactur- ing scalability. The focus is on bridging global technology ad- vancements with domestic production, ensuring that Indian projects are not dependent on legacy technologies. By improv- ing watts per square meter, GREW is enabling developers to optimise land use, an increasingly critical factor in India’s solar expansion. Advancing Solar Module Efficiency: The Rise of N-Type TOPCon Technology in Utility-Scale Solar Vinay Thadani CEO and Executive Director GREW Solar TOPCON TECH 42 energetica INDIA- Mar-Apr_2026