Silicon Module Super League

The Silicon Module Super League (SMSL) is a group of big-six crystalline silicon (c-Si) module suppliers in the modern solar PV industry. The 'big six' industry group members were Canadian Solar, Hanwha Q CELLS, JA Solar, Jinko Solar, and Trina Solar. LONGi[1] the world's largest solar monocrystalline silicon manufacturer and GCL,[2] the world's largest solar poly crystalline silicon manufacturer, both joined the SMSL in mid-2016.[3]

The achievement scale of this solar module industry breakaway group is notable. These seven module suppliers have been forecast to ship about half of the world's end-market supply during 2017.[4]

Chinese solar engineers at Trina Solar hold the record for a 22.61% PV efficiency in mono-PERC-cells with Passivated Emitter and Rear Cell (PERC) technology developed at its State Key Laboratory of PV Science and Technology of China [5] That one-third efficiency improvement was achieved in four years of PV research in China.[6]

SMSL group members have held the PV efficiency record for some time. Trina Solar in 2015 had set the previous record of 22.13%. Again, in July 2016, Trina Solar claimed that its production lines were able to produce the same kind of PERC cells in large volume with an average efficiency of 21.12%. This new, later higher cell efficiency which surpasses Trina Solar's record, has been independently confirmed by the Fraunhofer ISE CalLab in Germany. Trina Solar achieves 24.13% conversion efficiency for IBC solar cell.[7]