LONGi’s BC modules for offshore PV project in Shanghai

Leading BC manufacturer LONGi has begun supplying 400 MW of BC modules for Shanghai Electric Power’s offshore PV project. Located in the sea area of Fengxian District, Shanghai, the project has an installed capacity of 500 MW (AC) and is said to be among the city’s first batch of offshore PV pilot projects, with total investment capped at RMB 3.78 billion ($527 million) by a subsidiary of Shanghai Electric Power.

LONGi highlighted that its BC modules offer higher energy density per unit area, ideal for offshore PV installations where sea-use costs are high and construction windows are short – using BC technology in a 1 GW offshore project can save more than 6.5% of sea area, significantly reducing foundation, cable, and other balance-of-system (BOS) costs. The company added that the modules’ specialized welding and encapsulation design also enables them to withstand typhoons up to Level 17 (60 m/s wind speed) and wave heights of 8 m.

Recently, mid-year performance results from CPVT’s Yantai Offshore PV Demonstration Base showed that LONGi’s 635 W Hi-MO 9 BC modules achieved a 1.94% higher energy yield than 615 W TOPCon modules (see China Solar PV News Snippets).