Suntech will supply solar panels for what will be the biggest solar photovoltaic (PV) power plant in Taiwan. Suntech Power Holdings is the largest producer of crystalline silicon photovoltaic modules in the world.

The company will provide solar panels for the new 4.7MW solar plant in Young’an, Kaohsiung, Taiwan, owned and operated by the Taiwan Power Company, and developed by Fortune Electric. The new plant will almost double the island’s current installed solar capacity of about 5MW, according to Suntech.

Liao Wen Sing, Vice President of Fortune Electric Co., Ltd. stated: “We chose Suntech modules for superior performance and reliability, as seen in utility-scale installations across Asia, Europe, and the Americas. We look forward to working with Suntech on this momentous project – hopefully the first of many large-scale solar plants in Taiwan.”

Suntech will begin delivering the 16,640 advanced polycrystalline modules, each with a peak power output of up to 280 watts, in June 2010. The solar plant is expected to begin production in early 2011. The project is a milestone in Taiwan’s efforts to raise renewable energy production capacity by more than 10GW in the next 20 years, diminish its reliance on imported fossil fuels, and to reduce carbon emissions to year-2000 levels by 2025. Due to the abundant sunlight in Taiwan, it is expected that soon, a great share of the island’s energy will be solar.

Roger Ye, Suntech’s President of Asia Pacific, Middle East, and Africa (APMEA) stated: “We have great expectations for the entire region. Asia and the Pacific already account for about one-third of the world’s total energy demand, although its per-capita consumption is far less than the world’s average. The region’s booming populations, strong economic growth engines, and abundant sunlight represent an exciting opportunity for solar and for Suntech.

The Asian Development Bank reported in November 2009 that energy demand in Asia and the Pacific will grow by an estimated 2.4 percent annually for the next twenty years, a cumulative 80% increase between 2005 and 2030.

Suntech already delivers its PV products all around the region, including in Japan, Indonesia, the Philippines, Australia, Korea, Thailand and mainland China, among others thousands of customers in more than 80 countries around the world. This global track record is a key differentiator for the brand in both established and emerging solar markets, according to Suntech executives.

Dr. Zhengrong Shi, Chairman and CEO of Suntech said: “The global nature of our operations and experience provides a unique competitive advantage as we grow in emerging Asian markets and around the world. We are working across borders and regions to power sustainable economic growth everywhere under the sun.”

Source: http://www.instalbiz.com/news/12-full-news-taiwan-chooses-suntech-to-power-its-largest-solar-power-plant_550.html