The Way to Best LCOE (IV)

September 17, 2021

Fraunhofer ISE study Ι : Vertex 670W's LCOE reduced by 7.4%, Trina Solar 210 mono-facial modules with fixed tilts demonstrate outstanding system value

CHANGZHOU, China, Sept. 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — Recently, Fraunhofer ISE, the world leading solar institution, has completed the assessment of CAPEX and LCOE of new generation of ultra-high power modules 210mm (G12) from Trina Solar and 182mm (M10) series from other manufacturer.

Founded in 1981, Fraunhofer ISE is the largest solar research institute in Europe. Based in Freiburg, Germany, it is a constituent entity of Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft, the world's leading applied research organization.

The study results show that the new generation of 210mm (G12) and 182mm (M10) modules performs better than the conventional 166mms (M6) modules in both CAPEX and LCOE, G12 performs better than M10, and M10 performs better than M6. The CAPEX of the Vertex G12 670W is 4.2% lower than that of the M10 540W modules, and the LCOE is 4.1% lower than the latter. The LCOE of the Vertex G12 670W is 4.5% lower than that of the M10 585W modules, and is up to 7.4% lower than that of the M6 455W modules.

Results:

1. The Vertex G12 modules have the best CAPEX and LCOE. Compared to the M10 modules, the G12 600W and 670W modules perform particularly well, reducing CAPEX by up to 1.5-2 €cWp and LCOE by up to 3-4.5%. Compared to the M6 modules, the LCOE could be reduced by 6.5%-7.4%.

Figure I: Calculation results of CAPEX

Figure II: Calculation results of LCOE

2. Due to savings on the fixed-tilt mounting system, G12 600W and 670W modules possess savings of around 0.5~1€c/Wp or 11% compared to the M10 series.

3. Thanks to the innovative design of low-voltage and high-string power, the 210mm 550W, 600W and 670W modules have savings of the costs of electrical systems, which are up to approximately 14.1~21.4% compared to the M6 series.

4. Lower transportation costs account for the superior performance of the G12 600W and 670W modules. Within the same 40-foot container, the power of loadable G12 600W and 670W modules can be increased by about 12%.

Figure III: Comparison of items of CAPEX research results

In the era of grid parity, the advanced Vertex 210mm series of modules have a prominent edge in Levelized Cost of Energy (LCOE).

Assessment site: Germany

Method of installation: Fixed-tilts (landscape)

Inverter: string inverter

Module Power [W]	455	540	550	590	605	665
Cell Type	M6	M10	G12	M10	G12	G12
Module Size [mm]	2102 x 1040	2256 x 1133	2384 x 1096	2411 x 1134	2172 x 1303	2384 x 1303
Inverter	SUN2000-215KTL-H0 / SUN2000-215KTL-H3
Modules/String	28	28	37	26	34	31
Strings/Inverter	19	16	12	16	12	12
String power [kW]	12.74	15.12	20.35	15.34	20.57	20.62
DC/AC Ratio	1.14	1.13	1.15	1.14	1.15	1.15
Pitch [m]	6.03	6.56	6.35	6.56	7.53	7.53
Tilt [°]	20°
Shading angle [°]	35°
GCR	54.8%
DC Capacity [kW]	9,924	9,919	10,012	10,063	10,120	10,143
AC Capacity [kW]	8,815
Module numbers	21,812	18,368	18,204	17,056	16,728	15,252
Inverter numbers	41