Trina Solar was Australia’s number one brand of solar module last year, in terms of market share, according to data compiled by Sunwiz, an independent Australian market research company that specialises in data and analysis of the Australian solar market.
According to the recent Sunwiz’s report, Australian PV Panel MarketView, Trina Solar ranked number one in 2021 with market share of 14 percent.
Sunwiz data reveals that Trina Solar achieved the number ranking thanks to its high market share in all three segments of Australia’s solar module market: residential, commercial and industrial (C&I) projects and solar farms.
The data also shows Trina Solar increased its market share in 2021 and that last year was a record year for the Australian solar market overall in terms of volumes. Sunwiz says 5.2GW of PV was installed in Australia last year, increasing the country’s cumulative total to 26.9GW.
“Last year was a record year for solar module installations in Australia driven largely by the rooftop market, namely residential and C&I projects,” says Todd Li, President of Trina Solar Asia Pacific.
“Australian households are adopting solar, because people want to play their part to address climate change, by reducing their household’s carbon footprint, and because rooftop solar is a very cost-effective solution for mitigating rising electricity prices from the grid,” says Todd.
Meanwhile, commercial and industrial companies in Australia, both big and small, are adopting rooftop solar as part of their commitment to ‘green initiatives’ and to reduce their monthly utility bills, he says.
Todd also attributes the growth of Australia’s solar market last year to product innovation. “We saw Trina Solar’s 210mm wafer sized cells modules continue to win market share because of standardization of the 210mm wafer, cell and module size. New 210mm Vertex and Vertex S series of modules were launched last year, which helped to stimulate demand,” says Todd.
These new ultra-high power and high efficiency modules use larger-size wafers that are 210mm diameter, delivering more power than earlier generation modules that use 166mm and 182mm diameter wafers, he says.
Trina Solar launched its 670W Vertex series of 210mm modules into Australia in last year’s fourth quarter, contributing to a further increase in sales for Trina Solar that quarter.
The Vertex modules available in Australia include: 500W, 550W, 600W and 670W modules which provide a wide range of selection for commercial and industrial, and utility projects. “Utility-scale customers, in particular, want the lowest levelized cost of energy (LCOE) and lower balance of system cost (BOS), so they are opting for the ultra-high power and high efficiency Vertex modules,” says Todd.
For the residential segment, Trina Solar has been marketing its 400W Vertex S series of modules which provides sufficient power to meet today’s household needs including the need for electricity to recharge electric vehicles.
Todd says: “The Vertex S series of modules have the right balance in terms of: power, efficiency, dimensions, weight and mechanical load for residential rooftops in Australia.”
“We see strong demand continuing in the rooftop residential segment driven by construction of new homes, especially in the outer suburbs of major metropolitan centres, as well as from households wanting to expand or upgrade to a more powerful rooftop system that can generate enough surplus electricity to recharge an electric vehicle,” he adds.
The states with the highest adoption of solar are New South Wales followed by Queensland and Victoria, says Todd, adding that the growth in Australia’s solar market last year came despite state lockdowns creating challenges for solar installers.
Todd says he anticipates Australia’s solar market will continue to grow strongly this year, partly due to many solar farms achieving completion.
“Despite these very challenging times, generally for the global economy, Trina Solar Australia has stayed close to customers and proven to be a reliable partner that continues to deliver,” he adds.