Trina Solar has expanded its distribution network in the UK as it eyes the country’s underdeveloped commercial sector.
CCL Components, based in Glasgow, Scotland, will now stock Trina’s 250W and 260W monocrystalline Honey modules.
“The commercial installation sector is ripe for growth. More and more companies are realising the potential savings to be made through self-consumption,” said Richard Rushin, UK sales manager, Trina Solar.
“The PV market in the UK has matured to the point where concerns about subsidy cuts and economic viability are not really relevant to commercial projects. Organisations with sufficient roof space will be able to meet their own energy needs with PV,” he added.
“PV is going to play an increasingly prominent role in the UK’s renewable energy mix as the market continues to mature, and against that backdrop it is vital that customers have access to the best possible information and advice. PV is a long-term investment, and high-quality product and technical support will go a long way to helping customers make well-informed decisions,” he concluded.
The UK market has been undergoing a period of rapid maturity with improved policy stability and greater availability of finance contributing.
“The range of products on the market is expanding rapidly, and more and more installation companies are diversifying into solar PV. In this climate, it is important for distributors to act as more than just wholesalers,” said Paul R Brooks, managing director, CCL Components. “We focus on understanding customer needs and providing high-quality sales and technical support; this matches what we saw of the way that Trina Solar operates.”
The UK residential feed-in tariff is now claimed by 500,000 homes and the utility scale market has also enjoyed a resurgence. According to NPD Solarbuzz, 1.5GW of solar farms had passed through the project planning process and were awaiting final approval, as of August 2013.
In December 2013, UK climate change minster Greg Barker said that his focus in 2014 would be on unlocking the mid-scale market, which has been slow to develop in the UK.