Trina Solar stresses innovation

Trina Solar Ltd, a leading manufacturer of photovoltaic (PV) modules, has been emphasizing innovation to compete in the global market, especially amid the stringent tariffs imposed by the United States.

In early July, the company announced the launch of Trinaswitch, the next generation of smart solar modules, in North America.

"We have just introduced the product this week [in the United States]," Jeff Dorety, president of Trina Solar Americas Region, said on July 17. "It's expected to enter the US market in the third quarter."

This new product provides innovative new technology built into the junction box, allowing a more seamless integration for safety and compliance.

"Trinaswitch is a continuation of Trina Solar's product strategy in adding smart functionality to solar photovoltaic modules to reduce the balance of system cost, boost system safety and ultimately reduce costs to end users," said Jing Tian, Trina Solar's head of global marketing.

By continuously monitoring PV module parameters, such as excess voltage, temperature or current, the smart module can enter PV-Safe mode if a safety hazard is detected and reported to Cloud Connect.

The Cloud Connect will determine whether there is a local threat that can be avoided by shutting down a single module, or if there is a potential system safety hazard and PV-Safe mode is needed for the entire system.

The reason why the company is confident about the new product is that Trinaswitch is the only smart module on the market with upgradeable functionality, such as string flexibility.

In addition, the smart modules meet the 2014 NEC Rapid Shutdown safety standards, now required in more than 24 states. By 2017, nearly all US states will be required to meet that standard.

Apart from the Trinaswitch, the US homeowners may purchase Trinasmart panels through Vivint Solar, the second largest US residential solar provider.

The patented Trinasmart technology, including power optimization and monitoring built into the module junction box, optimizes the energy output of PV systems, enhances solar array safety, improves installation speeds and reduces balance of system costs.

Despite the increasing presence in the US, the company has been experiencing a tougher environment from the increasing tariffs.

This year, US authorities increased the tariff on Trina's solar products to 30.6 percent, compared with the 23.75 percent combined net tariff in 2012.

The company said in a statement in January that it was "wrong" and "unfair".

Gorety agreed, saying, "We are generally in favor of an open market, and oppose the idea of tariffs for any products."

However, when asked if the tariff impact company business, Gorety said "not really".

"It causes us to have to work harder in terms of finding ways to reduce costs to make up for the tariff," said Dorety.

"Certainly it has certain impact on sales and also our customers. Ultimately, the impact on Trina is similar to that on all manufacturers that import to the US. So it affects the US customers more than us," he said.

According to the company's first-quarter earnings report, revenue was $558.1 million, a decrease of 20.8 percent from the fourth quarter of 2014, but net income rose to $15.7 million, an increase of 12.7 percent from the fourth quarter of 2014, and the gross margin was 18 percent, compared with 15.7 percent in the last quarter of 2014.

"This year, we have been expanding into Malaysia, Vietnam and Thailand," said Dorety.