High Power Modules and Agriculture Production Combine, As Trina Showcases 210m Series

Trina Solar has shared on a project, covering 160 hectares of farmland, that uses Trina Solar’s 210 Vertex 550W series and is expected to generate 110 million kWh of electricity a year.

The firm is showcasing the 100 MW project as a great example of combining solar with agriculture.

The firm claims that the 210 Vertex module, based on large 210mm silicon wafers, achieves low-voltage high-power characteristics with innovative non-destructive cutting and high-density cell interconnect technology, achieving maximum power of 670W with an efficiency of 21.6%, and single string power rising 40%.

The inverters compatible with Trina Solar’s 550W modules in this project are Huawei’s latest high-current string inverters, highly adapted to ultra-high power 210 Vertexmodules, resulting not only in higher power generation and safer operation, but also performing exceptionally well in terms of system stability of weak-grid connection and
intelligent operation and maintenance. “Ultra-high-power modules are an inevitable trend in the PV industry,” says Huawei. “That is why we have launched matching inverters and provide a complete set of intelligent PV
solutions,” it adds.

More than 10 mainstream inverter manufacturers have now put high-current inverters on the market that are perfectly adapted to 210 modules. For Trina Solar, pushing to make the 210 mm standard the dominant standard over the 182 mm option, a series of test results on the mechanical reliability of Trina Solar 670W Vertex modules also serve their case. There were six tests:

• a static mechanical load test,
• non-uniform snow-load test,
• extreme low-temperature mechanical load test,
• hail test,
• extreme dynamic mechanical load (DML) test and
• a wind tunnel test to test the modules under extreme wind conditions.

Trina Solar’s head of product strategy and marketing, Dr Zhang Yingbin responded to a set of questions on the same. Dr Yingbin, head of product strategy and marketing at Trina Solar, says these advanced tests aimed to verify that ultra-high-power modules can maintain their outstanding performance even when subject to extreme weather.

Q: Why did Trina Solar choose to issue a white paper on these test results?

We see two major trends in PV application. One is globalization. More than 180 countries and regions now have PV. The other is the diversification of PV application scenarios, such as: agriculture, fisheries, water, etc. These two trends place higher demand on module performance, especially with regards to reliability. PV modules face enormous challenges because of extreme weather such as: wind, snowstorms, cold and hail. A comprehensive range of tests were conducted covering all these extreme conditions. The 670W modules demonstrated it can withstand the extreme conditions and achieve high reliability and stable capability of power production over the whole life cycle. We are sharing the research results across the industry so there can be more innovation and breakthroughs.

Q: How did Trina Solar optimize Vertex 670W design to withstand extreme weather?

Based on more than 24 years of PV module R&D technology and manufacturing experience, we have made many improvements including optimizing design, making frame walls thicker, enlarged cavities and improved the selection of materials and matching designs. All of this helps to achieve ultra-high structural robustness. If our customers choose to build solar installations in extreme geographic and climatic conditions, we offer customized products and installation design services including total solutions.

Q: Does optimizing products mean costs are likely to greatly rise?

It makes no sense just cutting costs while ignoring the long-term reliability of products. But optimizing and improving product reliability by no means implies greatly increasing costs. It has been calculated that cost increases will be minimal, taking into account the real value that 670W modules deliver to customers in the full life cycle of PV power plants.

Q: Will the core data related to Trina Solar modules, that use 210mm diameter solar cells, be made available to members of the 600W+ Open Innovation Ecological Alliance?

Yes. We are one of the founders of this valuable eco-system that includes many industry players that are committed to development of solar modules that use 210mm diameter solar cells. The publication of Trina Solar’s 210 Vertex modules system ‘white paper’ means that it becomes an open source for other companies. The core data including product design, layout, the position of installation holes, packaging solution, transportation, hot spot mechanism and working temperature is all shared among members. In addition, the production capacity plans of upstream and downstream companies, estimates of shipment and order data are also shared. The core concept of openness, innovation and ecology of the Alliance accelerates the technological advances and industrialization of 600W+, which has already well exceeded our expectations.

Q: Will 210 modules become main stream in the market?

According to the latest report published by PV info link, the 210 modules production capacity will reach 147GW this year and 234GW next year. High power modules will take more than 70% share of overall global modules production capacity. And the pace of growth is likely to exceed our forecasts.

Q: Have there been project cases of 210 in both domestic and international markets?

Yes, we recently published case studies on large projects that used modules based on 210mm diameter solar cells. For example, the 400MW agricultural photovoltaic solar plant in Nangong, Hebei province. Average three-year equivalent power generation hours have been raised 18% with integrated supply of the Vertex modules plus TrinaTracker solution, compared with traditional solutions.

The customer involved in the 112MW project in Dachaidan, Qinghai province, chose Trina Solar 670W series ultra-high-power modules. The project is in a desert so the customer only wanted PV modules with high capacity and high reliability to withstand extreme weather.

Overseas there are also many 210 projects. In early August, Trina Solar become the only modules provider for an 850MW large project in Brazil, all fitted with 600W+ series modules that have already been shipped.

Q: How would you sum up all of this?

On the path of leading the PV industry towards 600W+ modules, Trina Solar is not taking actions by itself. Rather, it is the joint efforts and business synergy of the whole industry eco-system from R&D, manufacturing to application. We hope that through innovation we can continue to focus on creating value for our customers and our partners while accelerating the sustainable development of the PV industry through products that offer the best performance and at the lowest cost.