The Philippines is on track to achieve a big increase in solar energy capacity this year with some large-scale utility projects due to be completed by year-end.
Trina Solar is the sole supplier of modules for AboitizPower’s 94MW solar farm in Pangasinan province, Luzon, that is now under construction. Project commissioning is expected to be in the fourth quarter of this year.
“We are supplying around 142,000 Trina Solar’s Vertex DE21 modules for this project,” says Trina Solar Asia Pacific President, Todd Li, adding that shipment of all the modules to the customer is now complete.
These Vertex modules have maximum power output up to 670W. AboitizPower’s 94MW solar farm is the first in the Philippines, and the second in Southeast Asia, to install Vertex 670W solar modules.
“Once completed, the power plant is expected to produce 147 million kWh of clean energy annually or enough to power over 60,000 Filipino homes all year round,” says Todd.
The DE21 Vertex is a high-power, high efficiency module that uses 210mm large-size silicon wafers with the incorporation of PERC cell technology. The large-size 210mm wafer is a new technology that is gaining market share in the global solar industry.
The modules also incorporate other market-leading technologies such as: high-density encapsulation technology, to maximize the module’s surface area; non-destructive cutting, so the cells have ultra-smooth edges; and multi-busbar technology for greater light absorption.
210mm silicon wafers, coupled with the other market-leading technologies, deliver more power and maximum efficiency of 21.6%
Trina Solar can interconnect 28 DE21 Vertex modules into a single string. Compared to other reference modules, a single string of DE21 Vertex modules can achieve up to 34% higher power, delivering a significant reduction in balance of system (BOS) cost and a lower levelized cost of energy (LCOE).
Todd mentioned “Developers of solar farms are generally very sensitive to investment costs,”
German research institute, Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems (Fraunhofer ISE), completed a detailed assessment last year showing that the capital expenditure (CAPEX) of the Vertex 670W is 4.2 percent lower than 540W modules, that use 182mm diameter wafers, and the levelized cost of energy (LCOE) is 4.1 percent lower.
A strong brand reputation along with a strong track record of reliability is another reason why Trina Solar is the choice for solar farm developers.
“We are one of the most established companies in the global solar industry,” says Todd, adding that Trina Solar is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year.
Todd shared that “Solar modules are designed to last more than 25 years, so buyers need to be confident the solar module manufacturer will be around after 25 years,”
“We are the only solar module manufacturer rated as most bankable for the last six consecutive years by 100% of industry respondents in the annual Bloomberg New Energy Finance survey,” he added, referring to an independent research organization widely used in the solar industry to benchmark and rank the different solar module manufacturers. ‘Bankability’ is a term the banking and finance community uses to describe assets that are easily financed. Bankability is a very important criterion for solar farm developers, especially those needing to finance their projects.
Todd added that many of the top solar farm developers in the Philippines are already using Trina Solar modules. Another example is PAVI Green Renewable Energy who is developing a 22MW solar farm in Bataan province, Central Luzon. This project is due to be completed in the fourth quarter of this year.
Trina Solar has supplied 40,665 of its Vertex DE19 modules to PAVI Green Renewable Energy. Vertex DE19 is the most popular Trina Solar modules suitable for both ground mounted and rooftop solar installation. The DE19 Vertex module has maximum efficiency of 21.2% and maximum power output of up to 555W.
Trina Solar will be participating in an upcoming Energy Show in Philippines, ‘The Future Energy Show’ from 7 September to 8 September at SMX Convention Center, Manila. You may catch them at booth number 1L02 where they will be showcasing their DE09R.08, DE21, NEG21C.20, and DE19R modules.
The Future Energy Show Philippines is an in-person event that brings together more than 80 world-class solution providers, future energy leaders, experts and professionals showcasing an array of products that contributes to the transformation of energy ecosystem in the country.