Australian solar PV module manufacturer Tindo Solar has inked a 15MW agreement to export solar PV modules to Vietnam.
The five-year supply agreement, worth AU$8.4 million (US$5.47 million), has been inked with Thanh Do Australia. Solar PV modules will be provided to the parent company, Thanh Do Construction Group, in Vietnam, which is engaged in large-scale infrastructure projects.
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Tindo confirmed that the first order, featuring 430W rooftop solar PV modules, will leave Adelaide in South Australia, the headquarters of Tindo Solar’s 150MW manufacturing capabilities, in June.
Richard Petterson, CEO of Tindo, said the export deal was a “vote of confidence” in Tindo’s manufacturing capabilities.
“Tindo internally invests in R&D and engineering to ensure we produce a solar module that always outperforms the market. Australians are prepared to pay slightly more for a high-quality module, and we’ve identified the same premium market in other territories such as Vietnam,” said Petterson.
Tindo confirmed in a statement that the rooftop solar PV modules set to be shipped in June have a 25-year warranty and are built to withstand cyclone conditions, with an average of between four and seven making landfall each year.
Tindo Solar plans Australia’s first solar PV module gigafactory
Tindo Solar was first founded in 2011 and has since become one of the primary domestic module manufacturers in Australia. It opened its first manufacturing facility in Adelaide in 2021.
Since then, the organisation has confirmed plans to create the country’s first gigafactory dedicated to solar PV manufacturing. The facility could cost around AU$100 million, create 250 jobs, and be capable of producing 7,000 solar modules per day.
Tindo Solar confirmed that the location of the gigafactory is yet to be confirmed, but it is exploring opportunities in regional New South Wales, Queensland and Victoria.
Because of the opportunities Tindo could acquire via domestic manufacturing, it is no surprise that Petterson told PV Tech Premium last year that the government’s Solar ScaleUp Challenge and Solar Sunshot programme could help put Australia on the global map for manufacturing.
Touching on this initiatives, Petterson said: “This partnership underscores the potential of local industry to thrive with the right support and signals from government initiatives like the Solar Sunshot programme.”
Launched in March 2024, Sunshot primarily focuses on how components are made, whereas the newly launched Challenge focuses on deployment. As such, the two initiatives aim to bolster Australia’s efforts to become a hub for solar innovation and development.
Speaking exclusively to PV Tech Premium, Petterson said he is an open supporter of the initiatives and believes that the programmes can help domestic manufacturers supply the Australian market and the wider global market.
“We have to have a mindset that there is just supplying Australia, which is a limited market, and then there’s supplying the rest of the world,” Petterson said.
“We make a high-quality product that performs well and gives a better return on investment over time, not just from an economic point of view but also from an environmental point of view.”
