The second phase of the Los Llanos PV power plant project, developed and managed by Trina Solar in Colombia, has been connected to the grid and the start of its commercial operations officially declared.
The President of Colombia, Iván Duque Márquez, cut the ribbon at a ceremony on Jan 22, expressing his gratitude to Trina for its important contribution to the smooth grid connection of the project and adding that it will enable thousands of Colombian families to have safe, reliable and permanent energy. Colombia has made great strides in renewable energy, he said, and by next year the installed capacity of solar and wind energy in the country will have increased more than seven-fold.
Phases one, two and three of the Los Llanos project, with a total installed capacity of 82 MWp, have been developed by Trina Solar’s International System Business Unit (ISBU), with Trina Solar (Colombia), a wholly owned subsidiary of Trina Solar, providing EPC management services. The first phase of the project was completed and connected to the grid in October. The second phase, involving grid connection, has an installed capacity of 27MWp and will generate 51 gigawatt-hours of electricity each year, equivalent to the consumption of 23,800 households. It will also reduce carbon dioxide emissions by about 19,450 tons a year.
The President of Trina Solar’s International System Business, Mr. You Hongming, said that having President Duque cut the ribbon was a great honour for the company.
“The President’s recognition of Trina Solar’s contribution to Colombia’s renewable energy ambitions encourages us greatly. Trina Solar’s International System Business Unit has worked on cultivating its activities in Latin America over many years, accumulating a fantastic pipeline and building up a strong and experienced project execution team. Our team completed the second phase of the Los Llanos project and achieved grid connection in just four months, which is a remarkable achievement given the difficult circumstances resulting from COVID-19.”
The head of the Latin American North Region of Trina Solar’s ISBU, Ruben Borja, added: “President Duque’s attendance at the ceremony adds to our confidence in the Colombian solar market. Our team is now giving its all to complete the fourth and fifth stages of the Los Llanos project, which will have an installed capacity of about 52 MWp.”
The overall project will install more than 200,000 high-reliability, high-power dual-glass modules, coupled with Vanguard Tracker Solutions. The powerful combination of Trina’s dual-glass modules and the tracker system can reduce the LCOE and provide customers with high reliability, high-power generation and higher returns on investment.