Trina Solar Co., Ltd., a leading global PV and smart energy total solution provider, has announced the availability of the 670W Vertex module in the Middle East and Africa

The series obtained the IEC certification from the TÜV Rheinland after passing complete reliability test and realised the mass production. This marks an even higher milestone in the PV 6.0 era and demonstrates that 600W+ is unstoppable in the future.

According to Dr Zhang Yingbin, Trina Solar's head of product strategy and marketing department, the 670W Vertex series inherits the non-destructive cutting, high-density interconnection and other high-precision technologies of the 210mm modules; with the ultra-high module power, the single string power gets 34% higher than that of other 500W+ modules in the industry. In addition, 670W Vertex modules maximise the container space utilisation in transportation, as a result of which the 12% up in the loading power and 5 - 7% down in the installation cost, creating more room for reduction of the LCOE and BOS cost.

Antonio Jimenez, managing director and vice-president, Middle East & Africa, Trina Solar, commented, “The new 670W Vertex series is a milestone achievement in the PV modules industry, and we are truly proud to be leading the way with our cutting-edge technology that continues to revolutionise the solar energy sector. We are confident that the new 670W Vertex series modules will attract plenty of attention across the MEA region as it does globally, and we are looking forward to fulfilling our customers’ requests for these ultra-high-power modules.”

The 670W Vertex modules inherit the four 210 key technologies

As a type of 210mm module, Trina Solar's 670W Vertex bears non-destructive cutting, high-density interconnection, multi-busbar (MBB) and other forward-looking innovative technologies, with low voltage, high string power and other core features, presenting efficient and reliable product performance. The MBB and high-density interconnection improve the module efficiency to up to 21.6%, while the non-destructive cutting pioneered by Trina Solar significantly reduces the risks of cell micro crack and power loss.

Leading Advantages, 34% higher power generation

Increasing in power of the single string is the core factor to reduce the BOS cost. At the launch of the 670W Vertex, Dr. Zhang Yingbin explained that in large-scale power plants (-20℃), the 670W Vertex has 28 modules on each string. Compared to other 500W+ high-power modules in the industry, the 670W Vertex module achieves a total power increase of up to 18,760W per string, 34% higher than that of the 500W+ modules.

670W Vertex module is suitable for large-scale power plants, especially the low-cost power plants which are very sensitive to investment costs, because the 670W modules can reduce the non-silicon cost of silicon wafers and cells for the upstream supply chain, and reduce the cost of trackers, pile foundations, cables and labor for the downstream.

Packaging & transportation

For 600W+ series products, Trina Solar innovated the packaging method to vertical placement, so that the width of the modules is no longer limited by the height of the container. Such packaging makes the best use of the container's internal capacity. Compared with the traditional ways, the loading power increases by 12%, which introduces a 12% cost reduction in transportation.

Installation

For the stage of unpacking and installation, Trina Solar provides simple and easy-to-use auxiliary tools with standard configuration, which can be used as the support of the box body to ensure the safety in the entire unpacking process.

Mechanical loading performance

The load capacity of Trina Solar's 670W modules is also tested. On one hand, the optimized frame design and material selection prevents the deformation even when the module area increases, and reduces the risk of micro crack. On the other hand, the non-destructive cutting ensures that each cutting surface of the cell is smooth and crack-free.

The 210mm modules, integrating high efficiency, high reliability, high power generation and low cost have been increasingly favored by the market, with tenders for large-size modules accounting for more than 78%. By the end of 2021, 210 modules production capacity is expected to achieve 120 GW in the entire industry. At Trina Solar, 210 modules will account for 70% to 80% of its overall shipments this year.

Trina Solar Co., Ltd., a global PV and smart energy total solution provider, has officially announced the availability of the 670W Vertex module in the Middle East and Africa

The African Development Bank (AfDB) has welcomed a US$150mn investment in the Desert to Power G5 Financing Facility from the Green Climate Fund (GCF)

This year, Scottish Sustainable Marine will deliver the first development phase of the Pempa’q In-stream Tidal Energy Project which, when completed, will provide up to nine megawatts of electricity to the province’s power grid

Hitachi ABB Power Grids has announced that it is the lead in a consortium that has been awarded a major contract worth several hundreds of millions of US dollars from the Saudi Electricity Company and the Egyptian Electricity Transmission Company

 The award is for the first ever large-scale HVDC interconnection in the Middle East and North Africa, enabling the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) and the Arab Republic of Egypt to exchange up to 3,000 MW of electricity – much of which is expected to be generated from renewable energy sources in the future. The connection will support the flow of power in multiple directions between three terminals and will be the first interconnection allowing the exchange of electric power between both countries. 

The global technology and market leader will be delivering advanced technologies for the high-voltage direct current (HVDC) power link between the countries. This includes the sup-ply of three HVDC converter stations located at Medina and Tabuk in KSA, and Badr in Egypt1. The business will also be providing system studies, design and engineering, trans-formers, valves, high-voltage equipment, technical advisory, commissioning and service, in collaboration with two consortium partners – Saudi services for electro mechanic works in KSA and orascom construction in Egypt. 

The HVDC link will give Egypt access to the interconnected power grids of the Arabian Gulf, and KSA access to those of North Africa, whilst strengthening grid resilience and power sup-ply security. Both countries have ambitious carbon-neutrality targets. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is working to increase the share of natural gas and renewable energy sources to ap-proximately 50% by 20302, and the Arab Republic of Egypt intends to increase the supply of electricity generated from renewable sources to 42% by 20353. 

H.E. Egypt’s minister of Electricity and Renewable Energy, Dr Mohamed Shaker El-Markabi, affirmed that the project reflects the depth of Egyptian-Saudi relations throughout their rich history and the wise leadership of both countries. El-Markabi also highlighted the unceasing endeavors of Egypt & KSA to attain sustainable social and economic goals across the entire Arab world. He affirmed that such joint interconnection is a kick-start for a pan-Arab interconnection, complementing their visions towards 2030.

Egypt’s minister of electricity and renewable energy added that the robust connection be-tween two of the largest electrical networks in the region, promise stability and reliability on power supply, with a thrive in the economic and developmental returns on exchanging around 3000 megawatts of electricity.

Exhibiting their fruitful expansion plans for renewable energy resources, such cooperation is considered as a safety valve for the unstable nature of renewable energy. Huge investments shall be dedicated in the near future to address such unsteady nature.

Claudio Facchin, CEO, Hitachi ABB Power Grids, commented, “We are proud to have the opportu-nity to work with our esteemed customers and partners in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Arab Republic of Egypt for this prestigious project. At Hitachi ABB Power Grids, we are enabling interconnections between continents, with unique capability to reliably exchange electric power at scale, across borders and time zones.”

More on the Saudi Arabia – Egypt HVDC interconnection:

The HVDC interconnection will transport up to 3,000 MW of electricity at 500 kV along 1,350 km using overhead power lines and a subsea cable across the Red Sea. The power will be able to flow in multiple directions between the three terminals – for instance, from Tabuk to Badr, but also simultaneously from Tabuk to Medina. 

HVDC is a key enabling technology of the sustainable energy transition, and Hitachi ABB Power Grids is continually adding new capacity to meet the growing demand for HVDC solu-tions globally.