Solar panels and panel brands

Why Is Nearly Every New Solar Panel N-Type Now?

Published · By the SolarPanelX editors · Prices and specs as of that date, from the pages under Sources

Summary

Because manufacturers moved their production lines. IEA PVPS reports that the n-type share of wafers jumped from 30% to 70% in 2024, and Fraunhofer ISE, citing ITRPV, puts it at 86% for 2025. DOE says the shift away from PERC toward n-type designs such as TOPCon and silicon heterojunction (SHJ) is driven partly by efficiency gains.

What the letter means

Fraunhofer ISE defines an n-type wafer as negatively doped with phosphorus and a p-type wafer as positively doped with boron or gallium. It is a property of the silicon inside the cell. Wattage, dimensions, and whether the panel is bifacial are separate specifications.

IEA PVPS says higher efficiency and lower degradation pulled manufacturing toward n-type, even though n-type had historically cost more to make. Fraunhofer's July 2026 report states that monocrystalline n-type TOPCon has become dominant and that n-type TOPCon and heterojunction are replacing p-type PERC.

Yearn-type share of wafersSource
202330%IEA PVPS
202470%IEA PVPS
202586%Fraunhofer ISE, citing ITRPV

The 2025 figure comes from a different source than the first two, so the table shows a direction, not one continuous data series. The industry has been through this before. DOE notes that aluminum back surface field (Al-BSF) cells dominated until around 2018, when PERC overtook them on efficiency.

Reading a product page

Two 100 W flexible panels show how the label sits apart from everything else. BougeRV puts "N-Type TOPCon" in the name of its Arch Pro 100W, while Renogy's 100W Lightweight Flexible Solar Panel (Black Division) lists its cell type as "PERC Monocrystalline." Their voltages, weights, and warranties differ for reasons unrelated to the cell type, and neither label tells you how many kilowatt-hours the panel will make on your roof.

Sources

  1. U.S. Department of Energy — Crystalline Silicon Photovoltaics Research
  2. IEA PVPS — Trends in Photovoltaic Applications 2025 (report PDF, Chapter 1)
  3. Fraunhofer ISE — Photovoltaics Report (July 14, 2026 edition)
  4. BougeRV — Arch Pro 100W N-Type TOPCon Flexible Solar Panel
  5. Renogy US — 100W Lightweight Flexible Solar Panel (Black Division)

We have not tested these products. Specs, prices, stock and terms are as published on these pages on the date above and can change; check the manufacturer or retailer before you buy.

More solar panels and panel brands guides

Solar panels and panel brandsHow Big Is a Residential Solar Panel?There's no standard size, but current residential modules run a little over 67 inches long and about 44 to 48 inches wide. The Qcells Q.TRON BLK M-G2+…Read the guide →Solar panels and panel brandsDo Higher-Efficiency Solar Panels Produce More Energy?Per square foot of roof, yes: higher efficiency packs more watts into the same space. Annual kilowatt-hours, though, depend on how many watts you…Read the guide →Solar panels and panel brandsShould You Buy Monocrystalline or Polycrystalline Solar Panels in 2026?For a new panel, the choice has mostly disappeared. Fraunhofer ISE's July 2026 report says multicrystalline silicon has effectively vanished from the…Read the guide →Solar panels and panel brandsHow Much Extra Energy Does a Bifacial Panel Really Add?The gain comes from how the array is installed, not from the label on the module. IEA PVPS reports that bifacial modules on single-axis trackers over…Read the guide →Solar panels and panel brandsDoes a Vertical Bifacial Array Produce More Than a Tilted One?At high latitudes it can hold its own over a full year. NLR researchers describe east-west vertical bifacial systems as an emerging design that…Read the guide →Solar panels and panel brandsHow Big Is a 400W Solar Panel, and How Many Fit on a Roof?Qcells' Q.PEAK DUO BLK ML-G10+ in its 400 W class measures 1,879 × 1,045 mm, about 1.96 m², and weighs 22.0 kg. An 8 kW system built from it takes 20…Read the guide →Solar panels and panel brandsWhy Do Some Solar Panels Go Past 500W?Mostly because they are bigger. Canadian Solar's BiHiKu6 (CS6W-MB-AG) runs from 520 to 550 W on a 2,266 × 1,134 mm frame, about 2.57 m², and weighs…Read the guide →Solar panels and panel brandsWhat Makes Solar Racking Fail, and What Should a Roof or Ground Mount Be Checked For?Wind, mostly, and it tends to find the fasteners before the frame. DOE's federal PV guidance calls wind the most common cause of PV system damage. It…Read the guide →Solar panels and panel brandsShould You Wash Your Solar Panels, and What Can Crack the Glass?REC, the panel maker, recommends cleaning when dirt can be seen on the glass and gives no fixed schedule; at a sufficient tilt, ordinary rainfall…Read the guide →Solar panels and panel brandsWhere Do Home Solar Panel Warranties Actually Differ?Less in the headline years than in what is covered and what it takes to extend it. The REC Alpha Pure-RX has a 20-year product warranty as standard…Read the guide →Solar panels and panel brandsCan You Buy Perovskite or Thin-Film Solar Panels for a Home Roof in 2026?For a house, the practical answer is still silicon. Fraunhofer ISE's July 2026 report puts thin film's market share at 2 to 3 percent, and it counts…Read the guide →Solar panels and panel brandsWhat Happens to the Warranty and Output When You Buy Used Solar Panels?The manufacturer's warranty goes away. SanTan Solar, a used-panel seller, states plainly that "used panels do not carry a manufacturer's warranty" and…Read the guide →Solar panels and panel brandsWhat Happens With Shipping and Returns When You Buy Solar Panels Online in Bulk?Full-size panels arrive on a pallet by freight truck, and the driver's job ends at the curb or driveway. Damage or missing panels have to be written…Read the guide →Solar panels and panel brandsHow Many Years Do Solar Panels Last, and How Much Output Is Left After 30?Government and lab sources put it at 25 to 30 years. DOE says modules are expected to last 25 years or more while still producing more than 80% of…Read the guide →Solar panels and panel brandsIf a Panel Is Rated 430 W, How Many Watts and Kilowatt-Hours Does It Actually Deliver?The 430 W figure is output under a lab condition of 1,000 watts of sunlight per square meter with the cells at 25°C. On the Qcells Q.TRON BLK M-G2+…Read the guide →Solar panels and panel brandsHow Much Less Does an East- or West-Facing Roof Produce Than a South-Facing One?In a New York model at a 20° tilt, turning the array from due south to due east left about 86% of the annual output, due west about 84%, and southeast…Read the guide →Solar panels and panel brandsWhat Kind of System Is PVWatts Assuming If You Leave Every Setting at Its Default?The web calculator starts at 14% total system losses, with line items such as 2% soiling, 1% shading, and 3% availability. The API defaults to a…Read the guide →Solar panels and panel brandsWhat Happens to Voltage and Current When Two 430 W Panels Are Wired in Series or in Parallel?In series the voltage doubles and the current stays at one panel's value; in parallel the voltage stays at one panel's value and the current doubles…Read the guide →Solar panels and panel brandsDo 650 W and 700 W Solar Panels Go on House Roofs?Not in the residential lines. The largest panels sold for homes are still in the 400s. Qcells' North American site lists its residential modules at up…Read the guide →Solar panels and panel brandsHow Much Energy Does a 1-Watt Solar Panel Make on a Winter Day?By Voltaic Systems' figures, a 1 W panel tilted at 45 degrees makes 3.6 Wh a day in New York in June and 2.1 Wh in December. Seattle's December figure…Read the guide →Solar panels and panel brandsWhat Cleaning Methods Do Panel Makers Allow When You Hire a Cleaning Service?It depends on the brand. REC allows a garden hose at household water pressure and soft sponges, microfiber cloths or non-abrasive brushes, and says…Read the guide →Solar panels and panel brandsCan Old Solar Panels Go Out With Regular Trash?Some can and some cannot. EPA says panels of the same model from the same manufacturer can land on either side of the hazardous-waste line, and it…Read the guide →Solar panels and panel brandsWho Still Sells Solar Shingles in 2026?Tesla was reported in August 2026 to have stopped selling Solar Roof, and its Solar Roof web address now forwards to its solar panel page. GAF's…Read the guide →Solar panels and panel brandsWhich Aptos Solar Residential Panel Needs Less Roof for 10 kW, the 440W or the 460W?The lower-wattage 440 W class does. At 10,120 W each (23 of the 440 W modules or 22 of the 460 W modules), the DNA-108 MFN10 array covers about 44.9…Read the guide →Solar panels and panel brandsDoes Canadian Solar's "Up to 620W" Describe Its Residential Rooftop Panels?No. The North American residential products page lists two series, TOPHiKu6 and HiKu6, and the TOPHiKu6 datasheets cover 440 to 470 W (96 cells) and…Read the guide →Solar panels and panel brandsIs LONGi's Hi-MO X10 Sold for American Home Roofs?It does not appear on LONGi's U.S. website. The only modules in the U.S. site's product menu are three Hi-MO 5 models; the Hi-MO X10 appears only on…Read the guide →Solar panels and panel brandsWhere Are REC Solar Panels Made, and Which Series Does REC Sell in the U.S.?REC's U.S. site lists four series, Alpha Pure-RX, Alpha Pure-R, Alpha Pure 2 and Alpha Pro M, all built on heterojunction (HJT) technology. REC makes…Read the guide →Solar panels and panel brandsAre Qcells Residential Panels Made in U.S. Factories?The Q.TRON BLK M-G2+ product page says the module is "Proudly assembled in the USA." Qcells runs factories in Dalton and Cartersville, Georgia, and…Read the guide →Solar panels and panel brandsHow Do You Claim Maxeon's 40-Year Panel Warranty Now That the Company Is Under Judicial Management?Through the installer. Maxeon's site tells system owners to contact their solar installer, who does a site visit and submits the claim. The 40-year…Read the guide →Solar panels and panel brandsCan You Buy JinkoSolar's Tiger Neo 3.0 in the United States?Not yet, according to Jinko's own rollout plan. The global Tiger Neo 3.0 page targets "the Global Market and All Customers (Except US. Region)" by the…Read the guide →Solar panels and panel brandsWho Makes the Hyperion Solar Panels Showing Up in Quotes?Hyperion Solar, also called American Hyperion Solar, is a module brand launched for the U.S. market by the panel maker Runergy. The U.S. warranty is…Read the guide →

All solar panels and panel brands guides · All guides and search