TaiyangNews: AIKO is well known as the manufacturer with the world’s most efficient commercial solar modules. While people generally believe your module portfolio, based on back contact technology, is focused on the rooftop market, you do offer products for the utility-scale market as well. What’s your strategy for the solar power plant segment in Europe?
Beda Juliani Coma: We will focus on the Top IPPs. The first step is to have AIKO join their qualified supplier list, then we provide specific solutions to each tender, and finally try to promote back contact (ABC) module technology to become a preferred solution for utility solar plants.
TaiyangNews: During Intersolar Europe, end of June in Munich, you signed a contract for delivery of a first significant volume for a power plant project in Europe…
Beda Juliani Coma: Yes, on June 30, AIKO and Tibra Pacific signed a significant procurement contract for the remaining 58 MW capacity of Bosnia and Herzegovina’s largest utility power station project. This agreement confirms that the entire remaining capacity will use AIKO’s high-efficiency ABC Stellar Series modules, which exceed 23.9% efficiency.
TaiyangNews: How did you win this project?
Beda Juliani Coma: This contract continues a successful collaboration between AIKO and Tibra Pacific. Earlier this year, the two companies agreed on a 6 MW project, which has since been partially installed and connected to the grid. The original project plan was for 104.5 MW, with the first phase involving the purchase of 40.5 MW of TOPCon modules and 6 MW of AIKO’s ABC modules. After the grid connection in early June, on-site engineers found that AIKO’s modules generated 12% more power and reduced electricity costs by 3% compared to their counterparts. As a result, Tibra Pacific decided to switch the remaining 58 MW from TOPCon to AIKO’s ABC Stellar Series, aiming for full installation by the end of the year and grid connection by the first quarter of next year. In a nutshell, the customer thinks AIKO modules are the most efficient and best performing modules in the market. And as this project is the biggest ground-mounted power plant in Bosnia and Herzegovina, they simply wanted to build it with the best modules.
TaiyangNews: Let’s talk about the higher yield first. A 12% better output is significant. What were the reasons?
Beda Juliani Coma: The project site enjoys excellent sunshine throughout the year, which also means that generation takes place during high temperatures for most of the year. With ABC’s low temperature coefficient, stable and excellent performance can be expected. The site is constructed in the mountains with fixed mounting system, land area is fixed, customer can build more capacity with high output power ABC modules.
TaiyangNews: In the end, it’s the power generation cost (LCOE) that makes the difference. And here your modules reduced electricity cost still by 3% compared to other modules. What’s behind this?
Beda Juliani Coma: Like I said above, the land area is fixed, high output power of ABC modules will make the whole cost per watt lower. The scenario and high efficiency also gave better simulation during the designing stage.
TaiyangNews: Can you explain the difference between the 12% higher yield and the 3% electricity cost reduction?
Beda Juliani Coma: Actually, they are related to each other, the higher yield is the reason for LCOE reduction. Maybe the capex of choosing back contact technology will increase a little bit at first place, but more profit in the future is still able to increase internal rates of return (IRR).
TaiyangNews: When we look at utility solar, we have the traditional ground-mounted part, but also new segments, like floating solar, which is gaining popularity in Europe. Are you addressing this as well?
Beda Juliani Coma: Yes, as we all know, back contact technology’s common issue is the lower bifaciality due to its high front output power. But in the special scenario, like agriculture etc., the reflection from the ground is not that much, which gives us more advantages to increase the IRR. And in the high BOS scenario, like floating, offshore etc., ABC modules can help investors to build the same capacity solar plant using less area and less mounting systems to increase the IRR.
TaiyangNews: AIKO is just starting in the utility segment in Europe; do you have already some experience in this field anywhere else?
Beda Juliani Coma: We have an offshore project in Zhuhai, China, with 400 MW capacity. This is a big project near our Zhuhai factory, and we welcome everybody to come and visit. By the way, we will host the 2024 bifi PV workshop in Zhuhai on 20th-22nd Nov. 2024, which includes a tour to our Zhuhai factory. For more information on the workshop, please check here.
TaiyangNews: Thank you for the interview.