From June 23 to 25, The Smarter E Europe, the world’s premier exhibition for photovoltaics and energy storage, kicked off in Munich, Germany. As one of the most influential bellwether events for the new energy sector, the exhibition gathered core players across the global industrial chain, showcasing a full spectrum of cutting-edge technologies and innovative products that clearly outline the latest landscape of industrial technological upgrading.
During the exhibition, Runergy officially launched its fully upgraded TOPCon 3.0 technology system and supporting products, marking its global debut on the international stage. Fueled by proprietary technological advantages, Runergy’s N-type cell achieved a record-breaking efficiency of 26.9%, drawing widespread attention from the industry. This landmark launch not only signals a new iteration cycle for Runergy’s cell technologies, but also once again demonstrates China’s PV technological competitiveness to the world, opening a new technical pathway to accelerate the industrialization of high-efficiency N-type technologies.
26.9%! Runergy Sets a New World Record for TOPCon Cell Efficiency
A long-standing pioneer in high-efficiency N-type cell R&D, Runergy has achieved a landmark breakthrough with its TOPCon 3.0 technology. Recently, independent third-party testing by the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems (ISFH) in Germany certified that Runergy’s new-generation full-area N-type TOPCon cell reaches a conversion efficiency of 26.9%, establishing a brand-new world record and breaking longstanding bottlenecks restricting efficiency gains in TOPCon industrial production.
This efficiency milestone is not an accidental short-term technical gain, but the inevitable outcome of Runergy’s long-term investment in fundamental research, iterative optimization of material systems, and refinement of mass-production processes, built upon years of continuous R&D accumulation.
Tracking the upward curve of cell efficiency over the past two years, Runergy has delivered steady, substantial improvements: its conversion efficiency climbed from 25.4% in August 2024 to 26.9% in June 2026, representing an absolute efficiency gain of 1.5 percentage points within 22 months. In comparison to the industry’s average annual efficiency improvement of only 0.4%–0.5%, Runergy’s progress far outpaces the sector average.
Compared to Runergy’s previous mass-production cells with efficiencies of 26.55% and 26.6%, the brand-new TOPCon 3.0 delivers a smooth, milestone efficiency upgrade. The verified total-area conversion efficiency of 26.9% directly validates comprehensive, systematic innovations spanning technical architecture, material systems and process workflows, yielding outstanding performance results.
Currently, mainstream TOPCon technologies across the PV industry rely primarily on incremental improvements via minor process tweaks and parameter tuning, resulting in shrinking room for efficiency gains and an industry-wide bottleneck of slow, marginal performance growth. Breaking free from conventional industry optimization logic, Runergy TOPCon 3.0 reconstructs underlying cell structures, fully upgrades core manufacturing processes, and optimizes uniformity across the entire wafer including edge regions. It successfully surmounts persistent efficiency barriers limiting TOPCon cell performance, carving out new technical and mass-production directions for further efficiency advances in N-type TOPCon technology.
“It is worth emphasizing that this is a full-area double-sided cell. We did not boost test efficiency by adopting full metallization on the rear side or using designated-area efficiency. In fact, improved uniformity across the entire wafer including edges stands as one of the key contributors to this efficiency breakthrough,” stated the technician of Runergy, on-site at the Munich exhibition.
This technological breakthrough fully demonstrates Runergy’s leading R&D capabilities and profound technical reserves. Enabled by disruptive systematic upgrades, Runergy has created a clear technological generation gap versus conventional mainstream TOPCon products, further consolidating its core competitive edge in the high-efficiency N-type cell segment and powering the high-end, high-efficiency transformation of China’s domestic PV industry.
Three Core Proprietary Technologies Drive Systematic Performance Leaps in TOPCon 3.0
The record 26.9% efficiency was not realized through localized optimization of a single process, but represents a landmark achievement from Runergy’s sustained focus on high-efficiency cell innovation, expanded R&D investment, and development of an in-house core technology ecosystem. Targeting key technical challenges including passivation contact structure optimization, precise control of interface recombination, and mass-production process compatibility, Runergy leverages three synergistic proprietary core technologies to build a differentiated, high-barrier technical system that reinforces core product performance at the fundamental level.
1. Proprietary RunPass Passivation Process to Reinforce Fundamental Performance
Adopting a full-line collaborative optimization framework paired with Runergy’s exclusive self-developed RunPass passivation technology, this process dramatically enhances rear-side cell passivation and drastically cuts carrier recombination losses on the rear surface. By effectively curbing energy loss during photoelectric conversion, it fully unlocks open-circuit voltage potential and lays a robust foundational technical framework for leapfrog gains in conversion efficiency.
2. Front-Side Composite Optimization Technology to Boost Photoelectric Utilization
The cell front side innovatively integrates high-sheet-resistance diffusion with hydrogen passivation composite technology. The dual synergistic technologies effectively reduce front-surface recombination loss, extend carrier lifetime, cut wasted energy during photoelectric conversion, and comprehensively elevate photoelectric utilization rate, delivering steady improvements in cell power generation performance.
3. Self-Developed Real-Time Power Loss Analysis System Enables Precision-Driven Process Iteration
To address pain points in cell efficiency loss monitoring and process optimization, Runergy independently developed the Powerloss real-time analysis system. The platform quantifies and dissects full-chain cell efficiency losses instantaneously and accurately, covering critical loss sources such as bulk silicon recombination, diffusion layer recombination, parasitic absorption in poly-silicon layers, and series resistance from metal grids. It precisely identifies process weaknesses and root causes of efficiency losses, furnishing granular data-driven support for process iteration and performance refinement, and supporting continuous advances in product quality and conversion efficiency.
Closing Remarks
Guided by Runergy’s R&D philosophy, core technologies that sustain long-term industry leadership never rely on one-off efficiency records to chase fleeting market attention. Enduring technological moats stem from consistent R&D investment, systematic accumulation across the full material and process value chain, as well as rigorous, in-depth research grounded in respect for fundamental PV theories and the performance limits of mass manufacturing.
The landmark 26.9% conversion efficiency achieved by TOPCon 3.0 stands as a benchmark outcome of Runergy’s dual-focused R&D strategy balancing lab-level performance limits and industrial manufacturability, while providing a new reference template for high-efficiency cell R&D iteration across the entire PV sector.
Entering a new cycle of iterative upgrading for the global PV industry, Runergy will continue to pursue fundamental technological innovation across its two core business lines: high-efficiency solar cells and PV modules. The company will keep iterating and perfecting its comprehensive TOPCon technology system, accelerating the commercialization of cutting-edge innovations by moving breakthroughs from laboratory pilot lines to mass production and global markets.
Meanwhile, Runergy adheres to an open, collaborative industrial development mindset. It partners with upstream and downstream stakeholders worldwide to jointly overcome technical hurdles and resolve bottlenecks in mass-production supporting infrastructure. The company will continuously launch PV products and complete technical solutions balancing high conversion efficiency, low manufacturing costs and strong mass-production compatibility. By delivering sustained industrial value via proprietary core technologies, Runergy provides long-term viable PV solutions to advance the global transition to low-carbon energy.