Longi Solar, Said To Be World’s Largest Solar Photovoltaic Technology Company, Is Partnering With Durban-Based Solar PV Panel Manufacture.
Longi Solar, Said To Be The World’s Largest Solar Photovoltaic Technology Company, Is Partnering With Durban-Based Solar PV Panel Manufacturer, ARTsolar, to meet the requirements of the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy’s Risk Mitigation IPP Procurement Programme – and beyond.
LONGi, a Tier 1 solar photovoltaic (PV) manufacturer listed on the Shanghai Stock Exchange, supplies more than 30GW of high-efficiency solar wafers and PV panels worldwide annually – about a quarter of global market demand.
ARTsolar was established in Durban in 2010 by entrepreneurs Eshu Seevnarayan and Patrick Goss, who remain shareholders of the 100% South African-owned company. Its current PV panel production line was designed for a capacity of 300MW a year, although due to market conditions over the past five years it has been operating significantly below this level.
On 19 March 2021, Energy Minister Gwede Mantashe announced preferred bidders for the Risk Mitigation IPP Procurement Programme (RMIPPP), which alone will require about 2,2 million solar PV panels with a total capacity of about 1,300MW for delivery of power into the grid by the end of August 2022. To achieve this ambitious target the projects must reach financial closure by the end of July 2021.
This news was originally published at All Africa.