Gaurav Mathur, Director, Trina Solar India

Please tell us how the business has grown for Trina Solar in India during 2021 under your expert guidance.

The year 2021 is a turnaround year for the solar industry after two consecutive suffering years due to the COVID-19 pandemic issues. As one of the largest global solar module makers, we had to deal with the challenges from finished goods demand and raw material supply, as well the logistics-related challenges. Facing challenges and opportunities, we at Trina Solar proactively worked along with our clients and have achieved excellent results.

Thanks to our clients for trusting Trina Solar and allowing us to serve them, and to our team for their persistent hard work. Apart from sales, we have also introduced our Vertex 650Wp power bin to the Indian market and could close significant volumes for early supplies in 2022.

We completed the year 2021 with steadfast determination and grit, bearing in mind the dream of “using solar energy to benefit all mankind” set by our founder and CEO, Mr. Gao Jifan.

How much has been the current capacity and what is the capacity planned for 2022?

Trina Solar has recently reached a remarkable milestone, having shipped 100GW of modules in the 25 years since the company was founded in 1997. As of now, Trina Solar has the world’s largest 210mm module production scale. Cumulative shipments of 210mm modules worldwide exceeded 25GW.

Trina Solar’s total planned module capacity last year reached 50GW, of which 210mm silicon wafer-based modules accounted for more than 70%. Trina Solar shipped more than 16GW of 210mm modules, ranking first among all makers of large modules.

Large modules began to predominate in 2021 with 210mm modules firmly taking the lead, and Trina Solar is the front runner in the race. According to the latest report from the market intelligence provider TrendForce, the capacity of large-size modules is expected to reach 349.9GW this year, commanding a combined market share of 74.6%. The capacity of 210mm modules alone is expected to reach 206.8GW, accounting for 44.1%.

Meanwhile, in 2022, Trina Solar will be celebrating its 25th year of entrepreneurship, and our business is still striving forward with the industry-leading capacity to meet global demand.

What have been some latest innovations in your product categories and technology?

Trina Solar is a technology-driven company. We led the industry with our reputable Honey and Duomax series and starting from 2020, we have introduced the large format, high power, and high-efficiency Vertex series to the market.

We have a wide range of module products with power bins ranging from 450Wp to 670Wp (in both mono-facial and bifacial) BIS certified for the Indian market.

Apart from that, on March 24, Trina Solar’s 210×210mm i-TOPCon cell achieved a maximum efficiency of 25.5%, setting a world record for the 23rd time. This new efficiency is the result of the company’s continuing innovation and research efforts demonstrating once again Trina Solar’s prowess in cell 210×210mm i-TOPCon cell technology.

The result was certified by the National Institute of Metrology of China, the preeminent metrology scientific research center, and the national legal metrology technical institution.

The achievements have been vital as the company has pressed on with its 210mm N-type i-TOPCon high-efficiency cell project, and paves the way for follow-up development in the high-end market.

Trina Solar’s achievements have been widely welcomed in the industry, including by authorities and renowned institutions. In February, Trina Solar was named by Reuters Events as one of the top 100 innovators in Global Energy Transition 2022. The company was the only listed company in China in the list and among only a few others in the Asia and Pacific region to feature on it.

In technology and innovation, Trina Solar has set a total of 23 world records for PV cell conversion efficiency and module output power. Over the years Trina Solar has applied for 2,200 patents, making it an industry leader in this respect. It has played a key role in 107 industry standards and published 96 standards, making a tremendous contribution to advances in photovoltaic technology.

With the introduction of Basic Customs Duty (BCD) and Approved List of Models and Manufacturers (ALMM), how is Trina Solar planning to overcome the challenges?

We fully understand the impact on the implementation of BCD & ALMM by the Government of India. We expect there will be a transition time for the market to consider the impact of BCD and ALMM in their projects and financial models before it gets stabilized.

India’s solar capacity implementation is expected to rise to 14 GW per annum between fiscal years 2022 and 2024, and further beyond that given aggressive renewable energy plans.

For the last 12 years, we have been serving the Indian market and we are fully committed to this market.

What can we look forward to from Trina Solar in 2022?

We have been seeing that the Indian market is quick and fast in adapting to the new technologies. Our Vertex series has a great potential to increase developers’ revenue.

The switch to large-format modules is irresistible from the perspective of industrial chain support, cost reduction, production capacity, and market share.

There is a growing demand in the global PV market for 210mm modules, and this is expected to drive further increases in the capacity and shipments of the high-power modules.

We also expect (especially in India), that the bifacial modules in combination with trackers would be new demand in the market for achieving better LCOEs.

Taking the ultra-high power module based on PERC technology as an example, according to the previous Fraunhofer ISE study made in Germany, the system value of the G12 210mm Vertex 670W mono-facial and bifacial modules is significantly higher than that of the M10 540W and M10 585W modules, and LCOE is reduced by up to 7.4%.

(Source: SolarQuarter)