Trina Solar Limited (NYSE: TSL) ("Trina Solar" or the "Company"), a integrated manufacturer of solar photovoltaic (PV) products from the production of ingots, wafers and cells to the assembly of PV modules, announced the signing of a licensing, sales and marketing partnership agreement with Zep Solar, Inc., a US based manufacturer of the first comprehensive platform for module-integrated installation hardware. This hardware is expected to deliver significant reductions to total system costs and will become one of the quickest ways to install PV arrays for residential and commercial roof applications.
The Company is targeting to incorporate the patent-protected Zep Groove into Trina Solar module design starting in the third quarter of 2011. Trina Solar's Zep Compatible PV modules and Zep Solar's proprietary installation hardware are also expected to eliminate the use of bulky mounting rails and separate grounding hardware, which will greatly reduce parts count and hardware costs as well as allowing reductions in design, labor, and logistics costs.
Trina Solar plans to sell its new Zep Compatible PV modules, along with Zep Solar's recently updated and expanded Zep System II hardware. The first of such hardware systems are expected to be introduced to the North American, European and Australian markets starting in the third quarter of 2011. Both companies plan to further cooperate in the development of new technologies and tools to deliver innovative solutions to the PV marketplace.
"We are excited to work with Zep Solar, to further enhance the structure and aesthetics of Trina Solar's advanced PV arrays and bring our global customers new products which will allow them to realize considerable design, labor, and logistics cost savings," said Ben Hill, Global Head of Sales and Marketing. "This partnership demonstrates our continued dedication to finding innovative solutions to increase the cost-efficiency of our products and make them more appealing for our target markets."
"We are proud to partner with an industry leader like Trina Solar as they drive total-system cost reductions through the adoption of the Zep Compatible platform," said Mike Miskovsky, President of Zep Solar, Inc. "Trina Solar has been a PV pace-setter in every important dimension, including capacity, quality, innovation and value. This partnership further extends that leadership - and the market reach of Zep Solar's rapidly-expanding PV installation platform - in ways that deliver real value to our shared channel partners and customers."