LONGi Solar wins German Excellence Award 2026 for its EcoLife solar module

LONGi Solar has been awarded the German Excellence Award 2026 for its 500 W EcoLife residential solar module in the category “Energy and Environment.” Under the title “LONGi EcoLife: More power, more security – the panel for an uncertain climate future,” the jury recognized the world’s first commercially available HIBC (Hybrid Interdigitated Back-Contact) solar module for combining very high efficiency with verified climate resilience, long-term safety, and a design approach tailored to modern residential architecture.

The German Excellence Award, presented by the German Institute for Service Quality (DISQ) and DUP Unternehmer magazine, honors solutions that demonstrate outstanding innovation, customer relevance, and future readiness. LONGi was nominated for its EcoLife series and has now received the award following the final jury decision. The award ceremony took place in Hamburg on January 26, 2026.

The jury of the German Excellence Award is composed of independent experts from business, academia, and civil society. Members include Prof. Dr. Michel Clement of the University of Hamburg, Iris Plöger from the Federation of German Industries (BDI), Tijen Onaran, founder of Global Digital Women, and Dr. Oliver Reichel-Busch of Lufthansa Technik. The German Excellence Award is held under the patronage of Brigitte Zypries, former Federal Minister of Economic Affairs and Energy, and is being presented for the eighth time. Together, the jury evaluates submissions based on criteria such as innovation quality, customer relevance, sustainability, and long-term viability.

Gerald Patrick Müller, Vice General Manager DACH at LONGi Solar (DG), commented on the award: “This award recognizes a shift in how homeowners think about solar. With EcoLife, climate resilience is a built-in property of the module. Homeowners gain higher energy yields on limited roof space, together with the confidence that their system is designed to perform reliably even under increasingly extreme weather conditions, such as storms, hail, heat or, as many parts of Europe are currently experiencing, high snow loads. That long-term security is becoming just as important as efficiency. As a global leader in back contact solar cell technology, LONGi has focused on bringing these advances into reliable, commercially available residential products through its EcoLife module series.”

Back contact technology contributes to climate-resilient energy systems

The 500 W EcoLife version of the series brings HIBC technology from laboratory development into commercial application for homeowners. With more than 25 percent module efficiency and an output of over 500 watts per panel, the module enables significantly higher energy yields on limited roof space. This allows even smaller or architecturally constrained rooftops to generate enough electricity to meaningfully reduce household energy costs.

Climate resilience as part of a systemic global challenge was a central evaluation criterion for the jury. The EcoLife module is designed and tested for snow loads of up to 6,000 Pa and wind loads of up to 3,600 Pa, as well as hail impact resistance. It meets Fire Class A requirements and is backed by a 30-year product and performance warranty. These characteristics position the module as part of a residential energy infrastructure that remains reliable under increasingly frequent extreme weather conditions.

Beyond performance and safety, the EcoLife concept also addresses the growing importance of aesthetics in residential solar adoption. The module’s back contact technology relocates all conductive elements to the rear of the cell, creating a uniform, deep-black appearance on the roof. This design supports better visual integration with both modern and traditional buildings, increasing acceptance in residential neighborhoods.

“The German Excellence Award is a strong validation of our conviction that residential solar must deliver measurable value across multiple dimensions,” said Nadine Bütow, Head of Communications for LONGi Solar Europe (DG). “Homeowners are looking for high energy yields even when roof space is limited, long-term safety in a changing climate, and solutions that integrate naturally into their living environment. With EcoLife, we addressed all of these expectations in one product.”

Commercialization accelerates adoption of back contact architectures

From a broader market perspective, the award also acknowledges LONGi’s role in advancing back contact technology toward mass-market readiness. Industry analysts expect rapid growth of BC (Back Contact) technology over the coming years as efficiency, reliability and manufacturing scale continue to improve. By commercializing HIBC technology at module level for the first time, LONGi has helped lay the groundwork for wider adoption of this next-generation cell architecture.
With the German Excellence Award 2026 by the German Institute for Service Quality, LONGi strengthens its position in the German residential solar market and underscores its commitment to developing solar technologies that deliver long-term value for homeowners, businesses and society in an increasingly uncertain climate environment.

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Photo credit: © offenblende.de / Marc Metzler