China Central Television has reported that the country’s first experimental test platform for solar power and energy storage has been built in Daqing, Heilongjiang province, northeast China by Huanghe Hydropower Development Co., Ltd. of the State Power Investment Corporation. It went into operation on November 19 with about 200MW for phase I development.

Trina Solar, an industry leader of PV technology and premium products, supplied the Daqing project with Vertex 500W, 550W and 670W modules. Highly reliable and high-value PV modules were selected for outdoor experiment and validation. The project is testing PV products, systems and energy storage facilities in extremely wet and freezing environments so as to support further progress of the solar industry.

On completion of phase I construction, empirical studies, experiments and tests on new PV and energy storage technologies, products and solutions will be carried out, and operating data for the design, construction, equipment manufacturing and R&D of PV industry in China will be collected.

Daqing city was hit by a heavy snowstorm recently, a rare event over the past 60 years, with temperatures as low as -15°C. One of the Vertex modules’ standout features is in ensuring high reliability and energy yield efficiency in extreme environments such as low temperatures and blizzards. That explains Vertex’s inclusion in such a harsh project.

Since June, Trina Solar has been working with third-party agencies to conduct stringent tests on Vertex modules, including a non-uniform snow-load test and an extreme low-temperature mechanical load test, to validate mechanical reliability of modules in extreme weather conditions. The test creates “non-uniform snow load” as close to reality as possible by simulating uneven pressure from heavy snowfall on a module surface, especially at the bottom end. At the ultimate pressure of 7,000 Pa (equivalent to 2.8 metres of snow), the module power degradation is only 0.56%. The low-temperature mechanical load test is a static load test at -40℃ with front pressure of 5,400Pa and back pressure of 2,400Pa. The test result shows no change in EL and only 0.11% power degradation, proving outstanding mechanical performance at low temperatures.

Affordable solar power and low LCOE are becoming common. Cost optimization and value enhancement help reduce LCOE. With this trend, Vertex modules with higher power, greater system value and lower LCOE are an ideal choice for customers.

The Vertex modules from Trina Solar are based on 210mm silicon wafers. With innovative non-destructive cutting technology and high-density interconnection, the series offers maximum power of 670W and up to 41% higher string power for longer string designs, thus reducing the number of strings and modules, saving installation costs and speeding up the project schedule. Vertex modules offer higher value, lower LCOE and greater yield.

Trina Solar has 25 years’ experience in developing and manufacturing PV modules and has thus accumulated a wealth of expertise and technical knowhow. As an industry leader, the company is dedicated to innovation, driving development by offering reliable quality and customer value, and creating the world’s best-performing products.