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Chinese solar module manufacturer, Trina Solar, which has been selling solar modules to India for about 12 years, will complete 9 GW of cumulative sales “in a few days”, Trina Solar’s India Head, Gaurav Mathur, told businessline . (India has an installed solar capacity of about 74 GW.)
Also, the company plans to bring its storage solutions (both cells and containerised storage) to India. The first deal is expected to be closed shortly.
Trina entered electrolyser manufacturing in China a year ago. “We have started pitching our electrolysers to Indian green hydrogen manufacturers,” Mathur said.
In solar modules, Trina will make its first sale of the more-efficient, n-type modules to India. The modules have been contracted for; only the physical delivery is to be made.
Module manufacturing
Trina Solar has been mulling setting up a module manufacturing unit in India. It even bought some land in Andhra Pradesh for the same around 2015. Asked for an update of its plans, Mathur said, “Trina is aggressively looking at local manufacturing .” However, he agreed when it was pointed out that it may not make sense to set up shop in India, when it can sell from China at prices as low as 14 cents a watt-peak.
Many Indian module manufacturers sell their products in the US market, but that model won’t make sense for Trina, as it is already supplying to the US from its plants in Thailand and Vietnam following US’ restrictions on buying from China.Furthermore, Trina itself is setting up a manufacturing unit in the US.
Trina will continue to serve the Indian market from China, but with an expanded product range that includes higher-end modules, trackers, storage and electrolysers. Trina, Mathur said, is the only solar module manufacturer to have its own trackers.
On the trends in module preferences, Mathur said the market was veering in favour of bifacial modules, which produce energy from front and rear.
On the price of modules, Mathur said the scope for further reduction in prices is slim, given the cost profile, but said that a little decline may happen if the Chinese yuan further depreciates against the US dollar.
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