Trina Solar Limited (NYSE: TSL) ("Trina Solar" or "the Company") announced that it has entered into a supply agreement with Longyuan (Tibet) New Energy Co., Ltd. ("Longyuan (Tibet)") to supply an off-grid solar system project in the Northern Tibetan region of Naqu. The agreement marks an important milestone for Trina Solar in the domestic market, where the Company is expanding its commercial presence.
The 2.1 MW project is Trina Solar's largest off-grid system project in China in recent years, following the construction of approximately 40 standalone power stations in 2002 in the Chamdo region of Tibet.
"We are very pleased to have been selected by Longyuan (Tibet) for the Naqu project," said Jifan Gao, Chairman and CEO of Trina Solar. "Quality irradiance in this highly elevated region underscores its suitability for such a project. We are committed to providing quality products and excellent service in implementing this project, which we believe can benefit the local population."
"This off-grid project, which differs from utility scale projects in terms of set-up and components, will use our specially-designed PC20 off-grid modules," said Mark Kingsley, Chief Commercial Officer of Trina Solar. "We believe the off-grid market has the potential to bring another dimension of growth to the Company. These installations, believed to be one of the largest off-grid module orders in China, are especially suited for Tibet's environment owing to its clean air, excellent sunlight, and challenges of rugged topography to extend traditional distributed power. We are especially pleased to be supplying our solutions in the Tibet Region, where our legacy projects from ten years ago are still improving lives."
NaquPrefecture is located in Northern Tibet, bordering with Xinjiang and Qinghai, with total area of more than 400,000 square kilometers. It is situated on an altitude of 4,500 meters. The territory possesses basins, lakes, rivers and forests, and as one of the few crop-producing areas of Tibet. With an average 2,900 sunlight hours per year, the region is highly suited to PV solar generation.
Naqu is one of the Tibetan areas lacking distributed grid power. Trina Solar hopes that the new off-grid project will alleviate the electricity shortages of the farmers and herdsmen, thereby improving the quality of life, while promoting local economic and social development in the region.