Solar Power World
By Kelly Pickerel | April 29, 2026
Solar panel innovator LONGi recently reached two technology milestones. First, its hybrid interdigitated-back-contact (HIBC) solar cell was certified by the Institute for Solar Energy Research Hamelin (ISFH) in Germany, achieving a photoelectric conversion efficiency of 28.13%. Second, modules using HIBC solar cells have been certified by the U.S. National Laboratory of the Rockies (NLR), with efficiency reaching 26.4%.
Both are record-breaking efficiencies for silicon-based solar cells and panels.
As the ultimate solution for single-junction crystalline silicon cell technology, the HIBC cell developed by LONGi’s Central R&D Institute  introduced core technologies such as in-situ Patterned Edge Passivation (iPET) and Laser-Induced Crystallization modification (LIC). Through systematic optimization of structural design, material selection and fabrication processes, LONGi says it has achieved multiple breakthroughs in optical performance, interface passivation quality, and charge transport efficiency, paving a mature pathway for the commercial deployment of ultra-high-efficiency crystalline silicon cells.
LONGi had previously described its HIBC cells as incorporating heterojunction technology, which combines the best qualities of crystalline silicon with those from amorphous silicon thin-film to produce a high-power hybrid cell.
Kelly Pickerel has more than 15 years of experience reporting on the U.S. solar industry and is currently editor in chief of Solar Power World. Email Kelly.

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