In Short : AIKO, a leading provider of advanced renewable energy technologies, has announced a strategic partnership with Segen, a prominent distributor of solar panels and energy storage systems. The alliance aims to accelerate the development and adoption of clean energy solutions in both the UK and Europe.
In Detail : As Solar & Storage Live 2023 brought the GB industry together in October, many looked for opportunities to explore new partnerships to spearhead the renewable revolution.
Perhaps one of the most interesting outcomes from the show came in the form of a new partnership between AIKO, a global clean energy technology manufacturing company that has led the cell manufacturing industry for nearly a decade, and Segen, the UK’s leading renewables distributor. Solar Power Portal saw first-hand the signing of the distribution agreement between AIKO and Segen, which will see the manufacturer expand further in the UK and Europe.
To find out more about the partnership, Solar Power Portal spoke with James Galloway, European technical director of Segen, Marina Shi, head of AIKO UK, Ireland and Nordics, and Dr Christian Peter, managing director of Solarlab AIKO Europe.
AIKO’s expansion from cell to module business
AIKO is well known as one of the leading solar cell manufacturers and, according to Shi, the Company has been supplying its solar cells to many “well-known module manufacturers”.
Indeed, the firm has been expanding its capabilities in this field and at Intersolar 2023 just a few months prior, AIKO showcased several of its ABC modules. Its 72-cell white hole series won an award at the trade show due to its high conversion efficiency (24%) and long lifespan, with a power attenuation rate of just 0.35% per year.
With this side of the business well-established in the global solar market, Shi explains that the Company began solar module sales just two years ago.
“We started the module business about two years ago, so this is the first year that we are selling into the European and UK markets. AIKO is still manufacturing and selling solar cells with non-ABC technologies as our main business, and we’re looking to provide one-stop solar solutions for everybody” confirmed Shi.
For AIKO, research and development (R&D) is still at the core of the company’s plans. Peter, who runs Solarlab AIKO Europe, said “AIKO is a very technology driven, entrepreneurial organisation, with Chairman Chen driving the Company forward at crazy speed. This pushes us all forward; we’re all addicted to technology and we’re proud to have this best module in the market. Now we need to start selling it and therefore we need the best partners.”
Expanding AIKO’s presence
Having AIKO’s solar products accepted into Segen’s range provides a means to expand its presence in both the UK and European solar markets and contribute more to the decarbonisation of the region.
For Galloway, introducing AIKOs products in its range grants various technological benefits, particularly in improving the efficiency of systems that are available for both residential and commercial rooftops, explaining:
“In both residential and commercial rooftop solar, there’s an increasing need for higher efficiency panels as well as improved aesthetics. Those are two really important customer requirements, especially aesthetics in residential, where the look of the house is an important factor for home owners.”
“Many commercial projects are financially based, so having a high efficiency is very important in order to deliver an improved return on investment and project yield.
“That’s what I’m looking for: products and services that go beyond fulfilling just the basic customer needs. The AIKO ABC panels do that by demonstrating very high robustness, long product performance warranty and low degradation annually, Creating value for the customer throughout the product’s lifetime.
Galloway concludes: “Finding a partner like AIKO has been excellent because you’ve got a marriage of both the technology and the professional cooperation to really help us get the right products to the right customers in the right way.”
Commenting on the partnership with Segen, Shi says: “[The partnership] provides us with a better channel towards all the other distributors and installers, so they have the expert help of Segen to pre-select reliable products.
“I think with us as a newcomer, it’s great to be able to work with Segen, the biggest distributor in the market. We are also comparing notes on how the market is going and share plans for future products and market development.”
AIKO’s technological innovation to reach new heights
With AIKO’s capability in the solar cell industry, pushing the technology and improving its efficiency remain some of the top priorities for the organisation. This, in particular, is tied to an opportunity for the European and UK solar markets to benefit from and further incentivise the adoption of PV.
When asked about how AIKO’s technology stands out in the market, Peter was quick in his response:
“The easiest answer for this is that we are heading all these lists with the best modules. Our efficiency is obviously the best, this is very easy to measure, you can measure it at calibrated Institutes like Fraunhofer,” he said.
“This technology has been in the market for some years, but we invented some technologies to make it reasonable and feasible for mass production. That’s always the big step from European and the US; R&D towards mass production.
“To develop a perfect cell in the laboratory is one thing and the other is to have a perfect product for the customers at the end.”
With this in mind, it is clear that AIKO will continue to push the boundaries of cell efficiency in a bid to incentivise further technology adoption. But, as Peter says, reaching these efficiency levels in the laboratory is quite different to reaching the efficiency for the end users. Despite this, he remains optimistic.
“These contact cells for single junction are top notch and may be will be achieved as long as we are staying at single junction, because you can have an efficiency of 27% in laboratory for the cell. The theoretical limit is around 29% and it’s the old 80:20 ratio, so the rest, the last 10% or 20%, cost the most and this means this is the top notch of technology. You can now have this in the market.”