Trina Solar Ramps Up Manufacturing Facility In Vietnam

Trina Solar, a smart PV and energy storage solution provider recently ramped up production of its manufacturing facility in northern Vietnam.

When the US$203 million factory in the northern city of Thai Nguyen started production last August it had 700 workers. It was producing its industry-leading 210mm monocrystalline silicon wafers. Since then, the workforce has more than doubled to 1,500 workers and the factory is now also producing solar cells and modules; representing more advanced stages of value-added manufacturing.

The facility is steadily ramping up to its maximum annual production capacity: 6.5GW of wafers, 4GW solar cells, and 5GW modules.

“Trina Solar is unique in this market because we not only sell solar products in Vietnam, we manufacture here as well,” says Elva Wang, Head of South East Asia, Trina Solar Asia Pacific. “Our Vietnam factory is our largest outside China and is doing high value, advanced manufacturing such as turning wafers into solar cells and module assembling.”

“Trina Solar’s high-performance Vertex modules manufactured in Vietnam are sold locally and throughout Asia and the world.”

“We employ 1,500 workers directly at our factory in Thai Nguyen, but create thousands more jobs indirectly, both upstream – through our use of local suppliers – and downstream as our products are marketed, distributed, and installed throughout the country,” she adds.

Some of Vietnam’s largest utility-scale, and commercial and industrial (C&I) solar projects, are powered by Trina Solar modules. Utility-scale projects powered by Trina Solar Vertex modules include the 51MW Dam Tra O floating solar farm, in the central coastal province of Binh Dinh, and the 49MW Vinh Long ground-mounted solar farm near the southern tip of Vietnam.

“Trina Solar modules use dual-glass, useful for challenging environments like these where proximity to the sea means higher humidity and salt spray,” says Wang.

“Solar energy is the right choice for Vietnam because it’s proven technology that can be quickly and readily deployed, even in challenging sites,” she adds.

Vietnam’s transition to renewable energy comes as the country’s electricity needs continue to increase due to strong economic growth projected at 5-7% per annum over the coming years.

Under Vietnam’s Power Development Plan VIII, the country is looking to phase out coal-fired power generation by 2050 and increase solar power installed capacity to account for 34%, up from 23% in 2022. The Power Development Plan also forecasts that energy storage will increase to 300 MWh by 2030 and 26 GWh by 2050.

Trina Solar is unique in the global solar market because it is the only company that provides truly integrated solar solutions incorporating modules, trackers, and energy storage solutions. No other solar module manufacturer makes trackers and energy storage solutions.

Combining modules, trackers and energy storage delivers a lower levelized cost of energy (LCOE) and lower balance of system (BOS) costs.

Trina Solar’s higher-efficiency and higher-power-output n-type i-TOPCon Advanced Cell technology Vertex series modules deliver lower BOS costs, with overall high power, high efficiency, high reliability, and high energy yield. For example, the Vertex N 625W (NEG19RC.20) and Vertex N 720W (NEG21C.20) are versatile options for application in utility and C&I scenarios with their golden-sized design adopted as the industry standard, and high module efficiency at 23.1% and 23.2% respectively. 26,554 Vertex double-glass bifacial modules have been installed on the company’s own Vietnam cell and module factory in the Thai Nguyen province. The 12.6MW project was connected to the grid on 6 December last year and is expected to generate an average annual power output of approximately 11.29 million kilowatt hours, satisfying the entire factory’s annual electricity demands.

Combining bifacial modules with TrinaTracker Vanguard 1P and 2P trackers, meanwhile, provides additional power. These dynamic trackers follow the sun’s movement and can harvest much more sunlight throughout the day. On a typical sunny day for an installation on the sandy ground surface, bifacial modules on trackers significantly outperform the energy output of a standard fixed-tilt ground-mounted system. The company’s new-generation trackers have a motorized system, reducing the number of mechanical parts. This means the trackers are quicker to install and have lower maintenance costs over the product’s lifecycle.

The Vanguard 1P and 2P trackers also provide additional energy yield because these are ‘smart trackers’ that use sensors to capture data and sophisticated algorithms to determine the best angles to tilt the modules to maximize light capture and thus power generation.

In energy storage, Trina Storage recently launched the 4.07MWh Elementa 2 battery energy storage system (BESS) that can fit inside a standard 20-foot-long shipping container for easy transportation. The new generation liquid-cooled energy storage system has lithium iron phosphate cells developed in-house and is an advanced energy storage solution for various applications. As Trina Solar continues to expand its manufacturing capabilities and strengthen its presence in Vietnam, the company remains dedicated to driving the country’s renewable energy agenda forward. With its high-performance solar products and total solutions, Trina Solar is poised to play a pivotal role in Vietnam’s journey toward a sustainable and energy-efficient future. As the company looks ahead, it remains committed to fostering partnerships, creating job opportunities, and contributing to the growth and development of Vietnam’s solar industry.