Also on the rise, Canadian Solar begins work on $ 230 million worth of solar projects in Japan, and the Canadian government supports efforts to convert arctic communities from diesel to renewable energy.
April 7, 2021
Maxeon Solar Technologies announced it will step up efforts to sell its Performance Line clapboard module technology in the United States, facilitated by delivering up to 3.6 GW of new assembly capacity in two phases.
Expansion will depend on whether the company is getting debt or equity financing to purchase equipment. After that, the first sale is expected to begin in the first quarter of 2022.
Maxeon is already present in the US roof market as SunPower Corp. IBC panels (Interdigitaled Back Contact) deliver. Maxeon said it will also supply SunPower with the performance panels. Maxeon was founded as an independent company in 2020 following the spin-off from SunPower.
Maxeon said that in phase one of its capacity expansion it will use existing assets to reach 1.8 GW of new capacity. Large-format G12 mono PERC solar cells are scheduled to be manufactured at the company's location in Malaysia, and module assembly is scheduled to take place at a facility in Mexicali, Mexico.
The company will next select a location for a US-based module assembly facility with a capacity of up to an additional 1.8 GW. Depending on the site conditions and market demand, the second phase is expected to begin operations in 2023.
The company said increasing volume in Malaysia and Mexico will improve overhead utilization and help reduce the cost of its IBC products. The Mexicali factory is well positioned to reach customers in the southwestern United States
The new capacity will be used to manufacture Maxeon's clapboard bifacial panel technology with a power rating of up to 650 W per panel and an efficiency of more than 21%. The main target market for the new capacity will be utility-scale power plants and large commercial and industrial systems.
Canadian Solar starts Japanese projects
Canadian Solar announced that it has started work on four solar projects in Japan with a total output of 143 MW. This portfolio includes the 100 MW Azuma Kofuji project in Fukushima prefecture and other projects with a total output of 43 MW in the Ibaraki and Hiroshima prefectures.
The Azuma Kofuji Project is Canadian Solar's largest project in Japan to date. It is powered by the company's HiKu modules and is expected to go into commercial operation in the first quarter of 2023. The generated energy will be purchased from Tohoku Electric Power Co. at a price of $ 0.34 per kWh.
The project is being financed by Nomura Capital Investment Co. with construction debt of around $ 230 million. Juwi Shizen Energy will serve as the global engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) company for the project. The project is expected to participate in the green certification process for climate bonds, which is compatible with the new green bond standard of the European Union.
Canadian investment in clean energy
The government of Canada is Invested more than $ 7.6 million ($ 6.03 million) in three clean energy projects in remote arctic settlements in Nunavut.
The investments include:
- About 6.5 million CAD ($ 5.15 million) for Qikiqtaaluk Business Development Corp.'s Sanikiluaq Renewable Energy Demonstration Project, which will install a wind turbine and high-penetration battery system that is expected to generate 4 million kWh of energy annually, and more than half of which displace diesel fuel used to generate electricity in the community.
- Over C $ 750,000 (C $ 594,000) for NRStor Inc. and the hamlet of Arviat to conduct a front-end design study for a hybrid wind, solar, and energy storage system and develop a detailed plan that will cover everything from power purchase agreements to Covering environmental auditing and improving the Nunavut community's ability to deliver renewable energy and reduce emissions.
- An additional $ 400,000 ($ 317,000) for the Nunavut government to work with each community in Nunavut to develop a comprehensive community energy plan that will serve as a model for planning processes to be followed in the remaining communities.
The government is investing an additional $ 300 million ($ 238 million) over five years to enable rural, remote, and indigenous communities that currently rely on diesel to run on clean, reliable energy by 2030 will.
All three projects were funded by Natural Resources' Canadian Clean Energy for Rural and Remote Communities program, an eight-year program to reduce diesel dependency in rural and remote communities through the deployment and demonstration of renewable energy projects, funding energy efficiency and the development of local skills and capacity.
It is also part of the Canadian government's infrastructure plan to invest in Canada, an investment of more than $ 180 billion ($ 143 billion) over 12 years in public transportation projects, green infrastructure, social infrastructure, trade and transportation routes as well Canada's rural and rural northern communities.
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