China Solar PV News Snippets: MSCI Upgrades Trina Solar To ‘BBB’ & More

Trina Solar’s ESG rating upgraded to ‘BBB’ by MSCI

In its latest results for 2024, Morgan Stanley Capital International (MSCI), a leading global index company, has upgraded Trina Solar’s ESG rating from ‘BB’ to ‘BBB.’ Trina Solar said this rating upgrade reflects the continuous improvement of its ESG efforts. According to the MSCI rating report, Trina Solar continues to lead the industry in areas such as Clean Tech Opportunities, Corporate Behavior, and Water Stress. In terms of Corporate Governance, Trina Solar outperforms the global industry average and has made continuous progress over the past year. In addition to the MSCI ESG rating, Trina Solar says its ESG efforts have also received multiple other awards and certifications, including the Decarbonization Leader award from the European Union Chamber of Commerce in China, inclusion in Forbes China's Top 50 Sustainable Development Industrial Enterprises, and recognition as an outstanding case by the United Nations Global Compact (UNGC).

Trina Solar’s VP, Dr. Chen Yifeng, recently said that TOPCon solar module technology will dominate the PV industry over the next 5 years, with a market share of 70-80% by 2025 (see China Solar PV News Snippets).

JA Solar receives TÜV SÜD IEC TS 62994:2019 certification

Vertically integrated solar module manufacturer JA Solar has announced that it has received the IEC TS 62994:2019 Environmental Health and Safety (EH&S) Risk Assessment Certificate from TÜV SÜD. The certification is a specification for EH&S risk assessment throughout the entire lifecycle of PV modules. The authoritative agency evaluated JA Solar's entire process—including module production and manufacturing, use, recycling, disposal, and environmental health and safety risks— to confirm that it meets the requirements of the IEC TS 62994:2019 standard.

Earlier this month, JA Solar announced it has supplied 1.1 GW of n-type DeepBlue 4.0 Pro modules for 2 animal husbandry and PV complementary projects in Tibet (see China Solar PV News Snippets).

DAS Solar's flexible mounting system performs well in Category 17 Typhoon

DAS Solar has announced that its flexible mounting system at the 70 MW fishery-solar hybrid project in Ding'an County, Hainan Island – located only 50 kilometers from the Super Typhoon Saola’s landfall point – remained stable after the storm. The typhoon made landfall along the coast of Wenchang City, Hainan Province, on September 6, with maximum winds exceeding Category 17 and speeds over 68 m/s. DAS Solar also provided design, construction, and installation services for this project.

DAS Solar explained that its independently developed new-generation flexible mounting system replaces traditional tube racks with prestressed steel strands. The mounting system for east-west orientation adopts 2 prestressed steel strands for load-bearing, while the one for north-south uses a unique design of inter-row flexible stability and wind resistance system. This forms a spatial cable-net structure in both east-west and north-south arrays, effectively resisting external loads and significantly improving wind vibration resistance performance.

AIKO’s n-type ABC modules for Xiangtan Steel PV Project

Xiangtan Steel, a manufacturer of high-quality steel for wires, bars and wide and thick plates, has brought online a 50 MW solar power station at its factory. The project uses AIKO’s n-type ABC modules on the roof of the factory building, helping it alleviate the power consumption pressure while saving energy and reducing costs and emissions. The setup is expected to generate about 46 million kWh of clean electricity to Xiangtan Steel every year. This will save the company about RMB 5.5 million (approx. $772,000) in electricity bills, and reduce the consumption of about 17,000 tons of standard coal and carbon emissions by about 45,000 tons.

Chinese solar module bidding prices hit record low

State-owned power generation enterprise China Huadian Corporation has released the results of its 16.034 GW solar module centralized procurement for 2024. The bidding saw participation from 49 solar module companies, with the lowest bid price dropping to RMB 0.622/W ($0.0879/W), setting a new record low for solar module bidding prices in China.

The tender for 16.034 GW of solar modules is divided into 3 sections. Sections 1 and 2 are procurement framework agreements valid until June 2025, while Section 3 is a formal procurement agreement with delivery scheduled from September to November 2024. It was Section 1, for 14 GW of n-type TOPCon modules with a minimum conversion efficiency of 22.3%, which saw the record low bid price of RMB 0.622/W ($0.0879/W). The highest bid in this section was RMB 0.73/W ($0.1031/W), with an average price of RMB 0.687/W ($0.0971/W).

Section 2, for 500 MW of n-type BC or HJT modules with a minimum efficiency of 22.6%, saw bid prices range from RMB 0.761/W to RMB 0.86/W ($0.1075 to $0.1215/W), with an average price of RMB 0.806 /W ($0.1139/W).

The 1.5 GW Section 3, for n-type TOPCon modules with a minimum efficiency of 22.4%, saw prices in the range of RMB 0.685 to RMB 0.8/W ($0.0968 to $0.113/W), with an average price of RMB 0.726/W ($0.1026/W).