In a strategic move ahead of possible new anti-dumping duties being imposed on c-Si PV manufacturers in China and Taiwan, CIGS thin-film producer, TSMC Solar has selected Centrosolar America as its exclusive distributor in North America.
Thin-film technologies are not part of the US ITC investigation, therefore will not be affected by any AD or countervailing duties.
“With its heritage of manufacturing excellence and as a world leader in CIGS-based solar technology, TSMC Solar is now changing the landscape of the North American solar energy market,” said Ram Akella, Centrosolar America’s managing director. “Our robust network of installers and distributors today delivers the most cutting-edge, turn-key solutions on the market and is ideally positioned to bring TSMC Solar’s new high performance CIGS technology to homeowners and commercial projects on a broad scale.”
Centrosolar America will be responsible for supplying TSMC Solar’s modules in residential and commercial solar markets in the US, Canada, Mexico, Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico.
“With its great relationships with installers and widely recognised excellence in customer service, Centrosolar America is a natural fit for us as we bring our high-performance CIGS solar technology to North American markets,” said Steve McKenery, vice president & general manager of TSMC Solar North America
The partners said they would also collaborate on utility-scale projects in the regions.
TSMC Solar said last year that it had pushed its CIGS thin-film module efficiency to 15.7%, which had been verified by TUV SUD. CIGS technology has performance advantages in respect to lower temperature coefficient, increased power rating due to the light soaking after light exposure, and less power loss in shaded conditions.