Mexico. Trina Solar announced the development of modules of over 400 watts (400W+) for utility customers. The 400W+ milestone is important in the solar industry as it represents a significant increase in power density over existing technologies. This additional density will help mitigate a common constraint on utility projects and the size of certain land areas by generating more energy within a smaller space.
While development is still ongoing, the final product will be based on medium-cut multiple busbar technology, rather than a five-busbar design. The half-cut technology uses a 158-square-millimeter textured cell cut in half, to help improve performance during low radiation, leading to a longer day of power generation at a utility facility. It reduces the amount of energy lost by shading between modules, leverages Light Redirecting Film (LRF) to capture more energy, and works well even at high operating temperatures, thanks to its low thermal coefficients.
The new module itself is slightly larger and has the same approximate total weight as the current technology. Many of the familiar specifications of Trina Solar's existing solutions should also carry over to the new 400W+ offering which includes:
- Pascal classification to withstand heavy loads of snow and wind.
- Induced degradation potential (also known as PID), which indicates a possible loss by eddy currents.
- 72 mono perc cells and 3.2 mm glass are used for lower weight and easier installation.
- Warranties: 10 years for the product and 25 for linear power.
The voltage will probably be certified at 1,500 watts, keeping the balance of system costs low and delivering a higher cost of electricity per source/LCOE.
"The eventual efficiency for the 400W+ module should approach 20%. The performance of the 400W+ module represents a 10 to 15% improvement over Trina's current products. However, Trina utility customers will get more than a significant jump in wattage: once the 400W+ module is available, they will also benefit from module enhancements. Trina will carry out internal tests that go beyond the inspections of the certification authorities for snow and wind loads along with the PID resistance," said Álvaro Garcia-Maltras, General Director for Latin America and the Caribbean.
Trina Solar expects that requirements for utility-scale solar project proposals may incorporate 400W+ modules sometime in the 2019-2022 window, although this timeline is still subject to pending product development changes.
