Trina said the FPV project will be located at the Batang Ai hydroelectric plant to facilitate grid connection. – File photo from Facebook/Trina Solar
KUCHING (July 13): China’s Trina Solar Company Ltd has won a tender from Sarawak Energy Berhad for a 71 megawatt (MW) floating solar photovoltaic (FPV) project in Batang Ai.
In a press statement today, Trina said the project will be located at the Batang Ai hydroelectric plant to facilitate grid connection.
“The project, spread across more than 190 ha, will constitute the first large-scale FPV project to be built in Sarawak,” it said.
A spokesperson from Sarawak Energy, when contacted, confirmed that Trina has secured the tender for the project.
According to Trina, the project will use N-type bi-facial high efficiency photovoltaic (PV) modules alongside string inverters to “improve system performance efficiency and reduce the project’s levelised cost of electricity (LCOE)”.
In addition to building the FPV plant, Trina said it will also upgrade the high-voltage substation and conduct operations and maintenance (O&M) services for the project.
“We continue to strengthen our position in Malaysia to contribute to the decarbonisation of the country’s energy systems through utilising better solutions and services,” said Trina’s International Systems Business Unit president Linhui Sui.
Trina said FPV is increasingly seen as an attractive option for countries with strong solar resources but limited land availability.
“However regulatory hurdles have held the technology back from greater roll-out, with some companies calling for permitting reform to speed up deployment,” it added.
Founded in 1997, Trina Solar Company Ltd is mainly engaged in the research and development, production and sales of PV modules; power stations and system products; PV power generation, operation and maintenance services; development and sales of intelligent microgrids and multi-energy systems, as well as the operation of energy cloud platforms, committing to lead the way in smart solar energy solutions for a net-zero future.