Panasonic have today announced 20 years of manufacturing the high efficiency original photovoltaic module HIT® this year. Since debuting their patented, high-efficiency photovoltaic module in 1997, Panasonic have produced over 18 million modules of HIT®, providing clean, affordable energy to consumers, businesses and institutions around the world.

Panasonic have today announced 20 years of manufacturing the high efficiency original photovoltaic module HIT® this year. Since debuting their patented, high-efficiency photovoltaic module in 1997, Panasonic have produced over 18 million modules of HIT®, providing clean, affordable energy to consumers, businesses and institutions around the world.

The landmark achievement cements Panasonics unique heterojunction technology as one of the cornerstones of high efficiency innovation in the global solar market. The companys pioneering heterojunction solar cells use a combination of monocrystalline and amorphous solar technologies to delivering greater solar energy, combined with unmatched product reliability and outstanding manufacturing quality.

"Panasonic is very proud to celebrate the 20-year anniversary of producing Photovoltaic Module HIT®", stated Kazuhiro Yoshida, Director of Panasonic Solar Systems Business Unit. "When we began manufacturing this patented technology our vision was to create a better world and help accelerate the worlds much-needed adoption of clean energy. We now feel more and more responsible for this original vision even after 20 years and will do our best possible efforts to go beyond the technological boundaries of photovoltaic energy conversion efficiency."

Across twenty years of production, HIT® has broken various solar efficiency world records. In 2014, Panasonics original heterojunction cell became the first crystalline based solar cell to break the 25% efficiency barrier for practical sized cells, paving the way for greater levels of solar energy generation. The most recent record breaking was the achievement of 23.8% module efficiency in R&D last March, which was the worlds highest module conversion efficiency at the time of announcement.

HIT® has also empowered Panasonic to explore numerous initiatives aimed at advancing the application and generation of solar power including solar cars, cargo vessels, and mobile lights for the developing world. This technology is practically in place at Panasonics Sustainable Smart Town (SST) in Fujisawa, Japan, housing approx. 10,000 residents. The newly developed carbon-neutral town is located around 40 miles southbound of Tokyo. Yokohama will be soon the second sustainable smart town and the construction is underway.

Panasonics current HIT® module portfolio encompasses one of the most comprehensive solar panel solutions for homeowners in the world, featuring various panel sizes geared to provide homeowners with greater choice and flexibility to extract the maximum amount of power from their roofs.

About Panasonic
Panasonic Corporation is a worldwide leader in the development of diverse electronics technologies and solutions for customers in the consumer electronics, housing, automotive, enterprise solutions and device industries. Since its founding in 1918, the company has expanded globally and now operates 474 subsidiaries and 94 associated companies worldwide, recording consolidated net sales of 7.553 trillion yen for the year ended March 31, 2016. Committed to pursuing new value through innovation across divisional lines, the company uses its technologies to create a better life and a better world for its customers. To learn more about Panasonic: http://www.panasonic.com/global.