REC Group Inks Major Equipment Supply Pact with Maxwell Technologies

Norway-headquartered REC Group has signed a significant manufacturing equipment supply contract with Maxwell Technologies, a specialist in manufacturing solar cell and module equipment.

The agreement covers the supply of equipment for REC’s latest heterojunction technology (HJT) innovation ‘REC Alpha Pure-R’. This supply agreement follows the acquisition of REC last December by Reliance Industries Ltd, India’s largest private sector company.

REC and Maxwell have had a close relationship since 2017 when REC first launched its N-Peak product and used Maxwell’s print line for its TOPCon cells.

Maxwell was once again REC’s first choice for print line equipment when it launched its award-winning HJT Alpha Series in 2019. Over the past two and half years, the two companies have successfully expanded their collaboration on HJT cell and module equipment, the key foundation for the new REC Alpha Pure-R Series.

Commenting on the partnership, Shankar G. Sridhara, CTO at REC Group, said “for REC, this supply agreement means we have a reliable partner with a cost-effective and aggressive R&D roadmap, well matching our future product portfolio. With a strong manufacturing capacity, Maxwell is also able to meet REC’s aggressive ambition to become a multi-GW HJT player in the solar industry in the coming years.”

“We’re delighted to cooperate with REC once again and pleased that our HJT equipment has helped REC to achieve HJT innovation. As a leading manufacturer of HJT equipment in the solar industry, Maxwell has always been committed to promoting the development of HJT technology and its mass-production applications. REC's choice allows us to see a brighter prospect of global HJT market. In the future, we will continue to strengthen our R&D capability to provide the more advanced and improved HJT manufacturing turn-key solution to customers,” said Jian Zhou, Chairman of Maxwell Technologies.

The REC Alpha Pure-R Series was unveiled at Intersolar Europe 2022 as the world’s highest-power solar panel for residential installations with G12 HJT cells and marks REC’s latest bold innovation.

Featuring half-cut HJT cells in the large G12 format in a patented panel design, it delivers a power output of up to 430 Wp, while keeping the module under two square meters in area.

Being lead-free and RoHS compliant, the REC Alpha Pure-R hits the sweet spot in terms of its power output, size and environmental footprint.

Production started recently in September this year at REC’s site in Singapore based on Maxwell’s equipment, doubling REC’s HJT Alpha capacities from 600 MW to 1.2 GW. Even before, REC received orders from plenty of customers across the US, Europe and Asia, testifying to the confidence of the market in REC innovations and its HJT Alpha technology.