Canadian Solar Unveils Breakthrough Low-Carbon Modules, Setting New Benchmark in Sustainable Manufacturing

Canadian Solar Inc. (the "Company" or "Canadian Solar") (NASDAQ: CSIQ) today announced the launch of its next-generation Low Carbon (LC) modules, which combine the latest wafer innovations with advanced heterojunction (HJT) cell technology. The Low Carbon modules achieve an industry-leading carbon footprint of just 285 kg CO2eq/kW, one of the lowest among all silicon-based solar modules worldwide, setting a new benchmark in sustainable solar manufacturing.

Designed for utility-scale and commercial & industrial (C&I) applications, the new LC modules deliver up to 660 Wp output with module efficiency of up to 24.4%, with deliveries commencing in August 2025.

Canadian Solar developed the Low Carbon modules through proprietary innovations in ingot, wafer and HJT cell technologies. Each technology innovation has contributed to the reduction of energy consumption and carbon emissions:

1. Higher ingot utilization rate – Increasing ingot utilization rate by around 20%, thus lowering emissions by approximately 9.7% (or 30 kg CO2 per kWp).
2. Thinner wafers – Reducing wafer thickness to 110 μm (compared to 130–135 μm in TOPCon/BC) for each solar cell, thus reducing silicon consumption and carbon emissions by 4.5%–5.5% (or 14–19 kg CO2 per kWp).
3. Optimized HJT cell manufacturing – Streamlining production to just four steps (compared to 10–13 steps for TOPCon/BC solar cells) and lowering operating temperature to <230 °C (compared to 960°C–1050°C typically needed). This reduces energy consumption by 4.2%–5.7% (or 14–21 kg CO2 per kWp).
4. Lower total energy consumption – Throughout the entire LC module production, the total energy consumption is around 105.62 MWh/MW, representing an energy saving of 8.8%–10.7%, compared to TOPCon and BC solar module production.

Altogether, these improvements shorten the carbon payback time of Canadian Solar's LC modules by approximately 11%, compared to conventional N-type silicon-based modules available today.

Canadian Solar's Low Carbon modules enable customers to achieve two goals at once - deploying one of the industry's most efficient, high-power modules while significantly reducing the carbon footprint of the solar power systems.

The LC modules are also fully compatible with Canadian Solar's inverter portfolio. For example, the 350-kW utility inverter portfolio features a 40 A MPPT DC input current, maximizing bifacial gain and maintaining excellent performance even in high-temperature environments up to 45 °C.

"We are proud to introduce our new environmentally friendly, low-carbon modules, marking a key milestone in sustainable solar manufacturing," said Thomas Koerner, Corporate Senior Vice President of Canadian Solar. "By combining advanced wafer innovations with heterojunction (HJT) cell technology, we are significantly reducing the carbon footprint of solar energy while maintaining the proven reliability and high efficiency Canadian Solar is known for."

Canadian Solar's low-carbon modules will be showcased at RE+ 2025 in Las Vegas, Nevada, from September 9 to 11, 2025. Visit Canadian Solar's booth V10031 to learn more.