SunPower plans 3GW of photovoltaic projects in China

US-based SunPower has formed a second joint venture (JV) in China to develop and own about 3GW of photovoltaic (PV) power plants in the country.

SunPower signed the JV agreement with Tianjin Zhonghuan Semiconductor (TZS), Sichuan Development, Leshan Electric Power and Tianjin Tsinlien Investment to develop the plants in the Sichuan Province.

The JV, called Sichuan Shengtian New Energy Development is expected to use the low-concentration photovoltaic (LCPV) SunPower C7 Tracker (C7) technology.

SunPower plans to invest around $20m and have a 4.6% ownership stake in the JV, which is subject to the government approval.

The initial LCPV deployment is planned to commence in 2015.

SunPower president and CEO Tom Werner said: "In a short period of time, SunPower has begun to tap into China’s tremendous, growing market, where our leading technology is well suited to the environment and is in demand.

"Once again, this new joint venture brings together the strength and expertise of each partner to achieve a common goal of providing clean solar energy to the people of China. With an expected pipeline of more than three gigawatts, we see tremendous opportunity for SunPower and our partners."

The latest agreement follows SunPower’s Huaxia CPV JV, which was formed in December 2012 in China.

The Huaxia CPV JV includes TZS, Inner Mongolia Power and Hohhot Jinqiao City Development Company.

To date, a 300MW C7 cell receiver manufacturing facility has been built in the Jinqiao Development Zone, Hohhot, Inner Mongolia, and three 50MW production lines are already in operation.

In March 2014, SunPower announced the sale of over 70MW of cell packages to the JV.

The packages are being utilized for the initial phase of the SunPower LCPV projects, which includes a 20MW project in Saihan and a 100MW project in Wuchuan.

Situated in Hohhot, both the projects are anticipated to be completed in 2015.