JA Solar to Power YES Group with 100-MW Module Deal

• YES Group secures 100 MW of JA Solar’s DeepBlue 4.0 Pro modules for 2025 projects, boosting Australia’s rooftop and commercial solar ambitions.

Australian renewables developer YES Group has inked a memorandum of understanding with China’s JA Solar, securing 100 MW of high-efficiency photovoltaic modules for a pipeline of projects scheduled to break ground next year.

The pact, announced on Monday, tasks JA Solar’s Australian and New Zealand arm with delivering its DeepBlue 4.0 Pro panels in 2025. The flagship n-type modules—unveiled only last year—generate up to 635 W apiece and reach a conversion efficiency of 22.8%, making them a tempting option for both sprawling commercial rooftops and land-constrained residential arrays.

For YES Group, which finances and builds behind-the-meter and utility-scale systems across Australia, the supply deal is designed to lock in price and performance certainty as equipment demand rises ahead of the government’s 2030 renewable-energy targets. Company executives say the agreement will cover several projects now in late-stage development across Queensland, Victoria and New South Wales, although precise sites were not disclosed.

JA Solar, founded in 2005 and now one of the world’s top five module makers, framed the MOU as part of a broader push to deepen local partnerships. Steven Chen, president for East Asia and the South Pacific, called collaboration with “leading enterprises” essential to expanding the firm’s Australian footprint, adding that localized service teams are poised to support installation and after-sales needs.

The DeepBlue line is JA Solar’s answer to developers looking to squeeze more energy out of every square metre. By using larger n-type cells and a half-cut design, the panels promise better low-light performance and lower degradation rates than previous generations. They also ship with reinforced frames—an advantage in Australia’s hail-prone zones—and come pre-certified to withstand the country’s stringent wind-load requirements.

YES Group expects that certainty of supply and the modules’ higher output will shave months off construction schedules and improve project economics, giving it a competitive edge as states begin to retire ageing coal plants. Once installed, the 100 MW tranche could generate roughly 150 GWh of clean electricity a year—enough to power about 30,000 Australian homes and offset nearly 120,000 tonnes of carbon emissions annually.

With the agreement in place, detailed engineering and grid-connection studies are already underway. Groundbreaking on the first sites is pencilled in for early 2025, positioning the partners to deliver new capacity just as Australia’s demand for zero-emission power ramps up.