Canadian Solar Delivers 10 MW Bifacial Modules to Neighborhood Power

Canadian Solar (NASDAQ:CSIQ) announced that the company has delivered 10 MW of Canadian Solar bifacial PV modules to Neighborhood Power for four solar power projects near Portland, Oregon.

The company said that this shipment represents the first significant delivery of bifacial solar PV modules into the United States.

As quoted in the text release:

Bifacial (literally: two faces) solar modules can generate energy not only from the front side, but from the back side as well. With Canadian Solar’s Biku bifacial modules, the sunlight on the ground is reflected to the glass-covered back side of the module, producing extra solar energy in a solar system, significantly reducing the solar system’s levelized cost of electricity (LCOE), hence higher return on investment (ROI). Depending on the albedo (reflectivity) of the ground and other site conditions, daily energy yield for projects with bifacial modules can be 5-20% higher than with conventional polymer backsheet modules. This improved yield can dramatically enhance the economics of solar system deployments.

Canadian Solar is a leader in bifacial polycrystalline PERC (passivated emitter and rear contact) solar technology. By innovatively integrating bifacial and Ku (dual cell) technologies, the BiKu module can reach up to 370W on the front side, using poly PERC in a 144 cell format. Canadian Solar’s bifacial module comes with a 30mm frame for easy handling, saving significant installation costs.

“When the solar industry was hit with tariffs on solar modules and steel, it seemed that rising landed costs had priced these projects out of the market,” said Stephen Gates, President, Neighborhood Power Corporation. “But with the additional power generated by Canadian Solar’s bifacial modules, delivered in the quantities and in the timeframe we needed, we were able to make the project economics work and bring these projects online by the end of 2018 as planned.”

Click here for the full text release.