WARREN POLLARD Trina Solar will make further investments in its African operations to support and grow the market
Chinese solar multinational Trina Solar will focus on the East, West and Southern Africa utility markets over the medium term, and notes that there is significant growth in emerging markets, specifically in Africa, says Trina Solar Africa sales manager Warren Pollard.
Pollard is executing the firm’s expansion and growth strategy in Africa and the company aims to capture more market share over the next few years.
Trina Solar reports growing demand for solar photovoltaic (PV) systems in Ghana, Nigeria, Zimbabwe, Malawi and Namibia. Its warehouse in Pretoria is focused on providing supplies for developers and engineering, procurement and construction projects, which include commercial and industrial solar rooftop systems.
Trina Solar has launched its Duo-max solar PV cells for these markets. The cells are polycrystalline PV cells that can withstand high temperatures, harsh conditions and high humidity. The firm also provides extended warranties for these cells, owing to their durability, Pollard notes.
“We are supplying the utility-scale solar PV market, but the durability of our solar cells is also well suited to smaller-scale commercial and industrial use across the continent.”
While the rooftop solar market has “cooled off” somewhat, there is momentum in renewable energy in emerging markets, especially for solar PV systems, and demand is expected to grow. The residential rooftop market has not decreased for several years and is expected to continue expanding gradually, he explains.
Pollard notes Trina Solar’s successful com-pletion of a collective 30 MW of solar projects under rounds one and two of the Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procure-ment Programme, and adds that the company’s successful projects and the robustness of the cells improve the bankability of small- and large-scale projects.