LONGi’s Hi-MO 4 modules to power 50MW project in Vietnam

LONGi Solar has bagged yet another order for its high-efficiency module line Hi-MO 4, now set to power a utility-scale project in Vietnam.

The Chinese manufacturer unveiled this week a supply deal with the proponents of a 50MW project in the southeastern province of Ninh Thuan, set to cost US$50 million.

The work of developer DLG Solar, the PV scheme will stretch across a 60-hectare site and is designed to produce an annual output of 80GWh, LONGi explained in a statement.

"Vietnam is a key market for LONGi’s overseas strategic direction,” LONGi Solar senior vice president Mr Dennis She said in the statement. "We will provide high efficiency monocrystalline products with lower LCOE and affordable clean electricity for local enterprises and people based on the differentiated demands in Vietnam's PV market.”

The contract sees LONGi’s Hi-MO 4 modules reach new geographies after they were first launched in May 2019, coinciding with this year’s edition of Intersolar Europe.

Under a separate deal, the high-efficiency mono-PERC product will be provided – alongside with its HI-MO X counterpart – to distributed projects in Brazil and other key Latin American markets.

The agreement with Brazilian distributed specialist SICES commits LONGi to supplying the two HI-MO varieties at joint, annual volumes of 200MW.

The firm’s customer for the 50MW deal in Vietnam has opted for the 72-cell HI-MO 4 variant, with each panel designed with a maximum power output of 440W.

Having reached the 2GW sales mark over the summer, LONGi’s HI-MO 4 is now poised to expand to new regions, with European availability understood to be following in Q4 2019.

Vietnam has witnessed utility-scale solar momentum since legislating for generous feed-in tariffs, prompting a gigawatt-scale rush of installations to reap subsidies before a deadline this year.

The developer stampede risks driving grid congestion across the most sought-after solar locations such as Vietnam’s south, the country’s monopoly utility EVN has warned.