DIFFERENCES BETWEEN 9BB AND 5BB PANELS

About the 9 BB/ 166 mm panels

Currently, 90% of solar panels in the market are 5BB. So, why is the 9BB solar module gaining popularity?

What is a 9BB solar panel?

Firstly, let's understand what a bus bar is.

Bus Bar(BB); A bus bar is a thin metal strip that conducts electricity between batteries. For most solar modules, the bus bar is usually aluminum, copper, tin or nickel.

Silver was formerly a common material for bus bars, but is now obsolete because of its high cost.

If the number of bus bars in a single cell is 9, the module is called a 9BB solar panel. There are other bus bar numbers, such as 5BB, 4BB and 3BB, and we will focus on the 9BB half-cut solar panel.

In the 9BB solar cell, the space between the bus bar is greatly reduced. This means shorter current lengths, lower losses, and higher overall module performance.

What are the differences between 9BB cell and 5BB cell ?

The internal resistance loss of a 9BB solar cell is lower compared to a 5BB solar cell.

The number of bus bars affects resistance loss, which can be caused by increasing the distance between two metal contacts. The 9BB battery has more bus bars than the 5BB battery, which reduces internal resistance loss by narrowing the bus bar spacing.

The shading area of 9BB solar cell is smaller than that of 5BB solar cell

Because of the reduced bus bar area, the 9BB PV module can reduce the current intensity between each cell, improving the efficiency of the PV module.

As the bus bars on the 9BB solar panel are thinner than those on the 5BB solar panel, they cover a smaller area of the cell, allowing more sunlight to reach the cell. Therefore, 9BB has higher power generation efficiency at the same size.

Microcracks have a minimal impact on 9BB solar cells. Microcracks are a kind of degradation of solar cells, which can affect the energy production and life span of solar photovoltaic systems.

Solar panels consist of parallel cells that are divided into blocks by bus bars. When a crack occurs in the same area, 1/9 of a 9BB cell will be impacted and 1/5 of a 5BB cell will be impacted.

Is the 9BB solar panel better than the 5BB solar panel?

In principle, the number of bus bars is proportional to the solar panel's performance. Under ideal conditions, the more bus bars in the solar cell, the better the performance of the solar module. According to this general guideline, 9BB solar panels are superior to 5BB solar panels.

This is why Newpowa has chosen to develop superior 9BB solar panels to meet your needs.

As a renewable energy brand, Newpowa follows the innovation of solar panels to bring new experiences to our customers. We present a new series of 9BB solar panels for you. If you are interested in these, please visit the relevant product pages for more information.