Swedish Startup Sticky Solar Power Accepts Orders for New Tape-Based Solar Stringer
Swedish stringer manufacturer Sticky Solar Power is now accepting orders for its innovative industrial-scale cell interconnection system. This system, which operates at room temperature, is designed for back-contact (xBC), perovskite, and heterojunction cell technologies.
Unlike traditional soldering methods, Sticky Solar Power’s solution uses tape to connect cells. This method can apply up to 20 busbars simultaneously, achieving a throughput of 2,500 to 3,500 single-track interconnections per hour. The stringer supports lead-free interconnections and uses 60% less silver than standard processes, according to co-founder and CEO Jonas Buddgård.
Buddgård emphasized the system’s flexibility, stating, “It can integrate into any production line and is suitable for batch or in-line production with a small factory footprint of just 6 m². With an optional layup, the size increases to about 10 m², depending on output preferences.”
The primary customers for this new technology are European and U.S.-based manufacturers of xBC, perovskite, heterojunction, and bifacial solar products.
The tape solution attaches interconnection wires to an adhesive tape, which the equipment then applies precisely to cell surfaces. This tape holds the wires and cells in place until the encapsulant lamination step, eliminating the need for single-cell soldering and combining interconnection and lamination into one step.
Buddgård highlighted the operational efficiency, stating, “With stringing performed at room temperature, the maximum required process temperature for the tape solution is as low as 150°C. The equipment can be operated continuously, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, and works with both ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA) copolymer and polyolefin elastomers (POE) materials.”
The tape-based system is competitively priced, matching other European manufacturers in terms of capital expenditure, perceived risk, and operating costs.
While the system is particularly suited for lower temperature cell processing as an alternative to traditional soldering, it also benefits manufacturers of monocrystalline passivated emitter rear cell (PERC) and tunnel oxide passivated contact (TOPCon) products. The technology reduces processing steps and material consumption, and the lower temperatures reduce the risk of solar cell cracking and warping.
Supported cell technologies include heterojunction, perovskite, perovskite silicon tandem, PERC, TOPCon, bifacial, and xBC designs. The system is compatible with standard formats such as M2, M6, M10, and M12. The tape has been tested in back-contact mini-modules, passing IEC 61215 thermal cycling tests.