Trina Solar has cemented a significant partnership with Australian energy company, the MPower Group. The agreement, signed during the All-Energy Australia trade show in Melbourne, holds paramount importance as it marks the first manufacturing supply agreement in Australia to encompass both solar modules and trackers.
Under this groundbreaking deal, Trina Solar will provide two essential products to power MPower's 200MW solar portfolio in eastern Australia. These products include 39.5MWp of Vertex N bifacial tunnel oxide passivated contact (TOPCon) modules and 31.2MWp of Vanguard 1P trackers.
Trina Solar's commitment extends to supplying these modules and trackers for five of MPower's utility-scale projects, with expectations that the portfolio will expand to encompass 30 projects, all integrated with battery energy storage systems.
This announcement closely follows the launch of Trina Solar's inaugural storage system, unveiled at the All-Energy Australia event. It reflects the company's increasing footprint within the global power sector.
Earlier this year, Trina Solar sealed a tracker supply deal in Colombia, swiftly followed by a module supply agreement in China. In a strategic move to leverage domestic solar manufacturing incentives offered under the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), the company also disclosed its intentions to construct a 5GW module manufacturing facility in the United States. The latest collaboration in Australia is set to bolster this trajectory of growth.
Andrew Gilhooly, Head of Utility Solutions and Storage for Asia-Pacific at Trina Solar, highlighted the innovative nature of this agreement, stating, “The innovative contract structure under this arrangement enables MPower to navigate pricing uncertainty on modules and trackers with confidence over a prolonged implementation timescale, where individual project characteristics on the entire portfolio of sites may initially be unknown or uncertain. For the sub 5MW AC segment in Australia, this is essential for our customers, as it enables them to scale quickly and successfully execute more projects within a more expedient timeframe.”
