Its PC14 280W modules will be supplied for installation at eight solar farm projects across the south of England. Anesco and Trina marked the deal as the start of a long-term relationship between the companies, with Trina predicting the market of 2013 will be the “year of the solar farm”.

“Where previously residential installations were the bedrock of the solar PV industry in the UK, adjustments to the feed-in tariff (FIT) system have seen commercial and large-scale installations take precedence,” said Richard Rushin, Trina Solar’s UK sales manager. “We anticipate 2013 being the year of the solar farm, and the substantial pipeline of projects on which we will be working closely with Anesco is testament to the growth of this market.”

The new agreement will see a minimum of 30MW of modules supplied by April 2013, with that figure potentially rising to a total of 55MW. A number of the projects are being supported by Scottish and Southern Energy (SSE), which originally established Anesco back in 2010.

The modules are designed to optimise balance of system costs for ground-mounted arrays, delivering high power outputs even in low-light conditions, Trina said. Each module consists of 72 individual cells, meaning that fewer mounting kits are required to achieve the same level of performance compared to standard 60-cell multi-crystalline modules, it added.

Anesco CEO Adrian Pike welcomed the deal, saying panel performance on the PC14 module is “excellent”. Trina Solar is also committed to our delivery programme, has good UK coverage and a strong balance sheet” he added.

The partnership follows the two companies’ first collaboration on a 5MW array for a solar farm on the Cadland Estate in Fawley, Hampshire. The project – the largest solar PV installation in the county – saw almost 18,000 Trina Solar panels installed at the estate, which belonged to a major supplier to food manufacturers, which was embarking on a drive towards more sustainable farming models.