Under the terms of the deal, Germany’s NexWafe will supply its ultrathin solar wafers to Talon PV’s planned 4.8 GW TOPCon solar cell manufacturing plant in Texas. Initial qualification work will take place at a pilot production line at Fraunhofer ISE’s Photovoltaic Technology Evaluation Center.
A statement from the companies adds that they will also collaborate on technical development and qualification efforts to improve TOPCon cell performance using NexWafe’s EpiNex substrates. This work will focus on advanced wafer material quality, ultra-low oxygen content, and next-generation junction engineering approaches to enable higher efficiency and long-term reliability in n-type solar cells.
According to details on its website, NexWafe’s EpiNex silicon wafers are manufactured via a direct gas-to-wafer epitaxy process, eliminating both the crystal growth and wire saw processes. Available in thicknesses from 50 μm to 150 μm, the wafers are grown directly to final thickness, which the company says dramatically improves material efficiency and reduces energy consumption.
Talon PV announced it is setting up a pilot TOPCon solar cell production line at Fraunhofer ISE’s Photovoltaic Technology Evaluation Center last September, which is where the initial EpiNex wafer qualification work will be conducted. A spokesperson for NexWafe told pv magazine work will begin on making TOPCon cells with EpiNex wafers this year.
Talon PV is planning to build a 4.8 GW TOPCon cell manufacturing facility in Baytown, Texas with NexWafe’s EpiNex wafers. The two companies say their partnership aims to “strengthen domestic content in solar products, reduce reliance on imported silicon-based components and advance a resilient Western-aligned supply chain for next-generation photovoltaics.”
NexWafe was among eight European companies that received investment in the last round of the European Commission’s Strategic Technologies for Europe Platform Scale Up call. In December 2024, the company achieved a power conversion efficiency of 24.4% for a heterojunction solar cell built with its ultrathin wafers.
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