SunDrive strikes China pact to scale up copper PV technology

Australian PV innovator SunDrive Solar says it has struck an agreement with two of China’s biggest solar equipment manufacturers to help launch its copper electrode technology onto the global market.

May 13, 2025 David Carroll

Image: SunDrive Solar

SunDrive has signed a joint development agreement (JDA) with Maxwell Technologies and Jiangsu Vistar Equipment Technology to co-develop and distribute commercial-scale direct-copper plating tools to produce high-efficiency heterojunction (HJT) solar cells.

Sydney-based SunDrive has been developing technology that uses copper for PV cell metallisation, instead of silver. The company set a world efficiency record of 26.41% in 2022 with a full-size silicon heterojunction (HJT) solar cell featuring its copper-based technology and believes its advances will see installed solar costs fall by 20 to 30%.

SunDrive Chief Executive Officer Natalie Malligan said while the company’s focus remains fixed on solar innovation and technology development, its strategic model involves partnering with world-leading equipment developers and manufacturers to accelerate the commercialisation of its technology.

The company last year inked a memorandum of understanding with PV manufacturing heavyweight Trinasolar to pursue the establishment of domestic solar manufacturing in Australia. SunDrive has also teamed with AGL Energy to explore the potential development of a solar panel factory at the site of the former Liddell coal-fired power station in the New South Wales Hunter region.

Malligan said the agreements with Maxwell and Vistar are the latest steps on the path to industrialise SunDrive’s technology from pilot- to commercial-scale, enabling deployment in the manufacturing context.

“This partnership is a clear validation of SunDrive’s strategy to focus on world-class solar innovation, right here in Australia, and partner with the best in the industry to bring it to market,” she said.

“Maxwell and Vistar’s extensive track record in bringing commercial-scale solar cell production equipment rapidly to market, and distributing at scale, represents the ideal launchpad for SunDrive to take our technology to Australia and the world.”

SunDrive said in a statement that the “shift from silver to copper is essential to the future of solar manufacturing.”

“As silver becomes more expensive and supply chains tighten, copper offers a scalable, cost-effective, and sustainable alternative,” it said. “This collaboration helps support HJT’s long-term viability by addressing one of its biggest material constraints.”

Malligan said combining SunDrive’s copper metallisation technology with Maxwell and Vistar’s industrialisation expertise and extensive market reach will pave the way for rapid scale-up and future deployment in domestic and global manufacturing lines.

Maxwell is the world’s largest manufacturers of HJT solar cell production equipment, supplying more than 80% of installed capacity worldwide, with customers including Tongwei Solar, Trina Solar, Longi, JA Solar, Jinko, and Canadian Solar.

Vistar designs and manufactures specialised solar production equipment, including wet chemical processing and equipment automation for next-generation solar technologies.

Maxwell Chairman Zhou Jian said the collaboration with SunDrive builds on the two party’s existing relationship.

“We hope this collaboration will deepen our joint R&D capabilities in copper plating, achieve new breakthroughs in cell conversion efficiency, module power output, and mass producibility, as well as propel HJT technology into the 780 W plus era, opening new frontiers for the industry’s development,” he said. “Technological innovation is the cornerstone for the photovoltaic industry to overcome cycles and advance toward a brighter future.”

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