N-type TOPCon vs P-type PERC panels: heat, ageing and low light

If you are comparing solar quotes, the panel type matters more than the brand name on the frame. Newer N-type TOPCon panels lose less output in the heat and age more slowly than the P-type PERC panels that filled Australian roofs for most of the last decade. You do not have to take a salesperson's word for that. Jinko makes both kinds, and its own Australian datasheets and warranty spell out the gap.

What the letters mean

A solar cell starts as a thin wafer of silicon with a small amount of another element added.

• P-type wafers use boron. PERC (passivated emitter and rear cell) added a layer on the back of the cell to bounce more light back through it, and for years it was the standard home panel. Jinko's Tiger Pro range is P-type PERC.
• N-type wafers use phosphorus instead. TOPCon (tunnel oxide passivated contact) adds an ultra-thin oxide layer that cuts the energy lost where the metal contacts meet the silicon. Jinko's Tiger Neo range is N-type TOPCon.

Boron-doped P-type wafers are prone to a loss of output early in their life in the sun, known as light induced degradation. Phosphorus-doped N-type wafers largely avoid that particular problem, which is one reason the early losses on N-type panels are smaller.

Heat: the number that matters on a hot roof

Every panel's output drops as its cells warm above 25°C. The temperature coefficient tells you by how much.

• Jinko Tiger Pro 54-cell (P-type PERC): 0.35% per degree
• Jinko Tiger Neo 3.0 48-cell all-black (N-type TOPCon): 0.26% per degree

Panels on a roof run much hotter than the air. The industry's standard operating test (800 watts per square metre of sun, 20°C air and a light breeze) puts the Tiger Pro's cells at around 45°C. Here is what that does to each panel:

• At 45°C cells, 20 degrees above the rating point: the P-type panel gives up about 7.0% of its rated output, the N-type about 5.2%.
• At 65°C cells, on a day hotter than the test assumes: about 14.0% against 10.4%.

That difference is paid every warm day for the life of the system, and it falls in summer, when a home's cooling load is highest.

Ageing: what the warranty actually promises

Degradation is the slow loss of output as a panel ages. The most honest place to compare it is the manufacturer's warranty, because that is the figure the manufacturer is prepared to stand behind. Jinko's Australian limited warranty dated August 2026 covers both families:

Tiger Pro (P-type PERC)

• No more than 2.0% loss in the first year
• No more than 0.55% a year after that
• At least 84.80% of rated output at year 25, the end of its 25-year power warranty

Tiger Neo 48QL6 (N-type TOPCon)

• No more than 1.0% loss in the first year
• No more than 0.35% a year after that
• At least 88.85% of rated output at year 30, the end of its 30-year power warranty

Run the Tiger Neo numbers to year 25 and the floor is 90.6%, compared with 84.80% for Tiger Pro. On a 10 kW system, that is the difference between a guaranteed minimum of roughly 9.06 kW and 8.48 kW of rated capacity in the 25th year.

These are guaranteed minimums, not forecasts, and a panel can do better than its floor. But a manufacturer only commits to tighter figures when its own testing gives it confidence, so the gap in the warranty tells you something real.

The product warranty differs too. In the same document, Tiger Pro models carry 12 or 15 year product warranties, while the rooftop Tiger Neo 48QL6 models carry 25 years.

Low light

Weak light is where Victoria spends a lot of its winter. Jinko publishes a low light performance index of 96.77% at 200 watts per square metre for the Tiger Neo 3.0 range, meaning the panel holds almost all of its efficiency in dim conditions.

Jinko's P-type datasheets do not publish a matching figure, so a fair head-to-head on low light from the datasheets alone is not possible. What can be said is that the N-type range is specifically designed and tested for it, and the result is published.

Should you replace PERC panels you already have?

No. A working PERC system is still a working system. The difference shows up when you are buying now: for a new installation there is little reason to choose P-type, and the home panels Jinko currently lists for Australia are all N-type.

What to check on a quote

• The panel's model code, not just the brand.
• Whether the datasheet says N-type.
• The temperature coefficient (lower is better).
• The first-year and annual degradation in the Australian warranty, and the product warranty years.

Central Solar fits all-black panels on all three of our tiers, with a 25-year panel warranty. To see the panels we would suggest for your roof and why, have a look at our solar systems.