Suntech Power Holdings Co., Ltd. recently celebrated two major milestones – its 10th anniversary and five gigawatts of Suntech solar panels having been installed around the world.
The company says the 5GW of Suntech solar panels could generate enough electricity to offset around 3.78 million tons of carbon dioxide annually; the equivalent of removing 1.5 million cars off the road. Suntech has now shipped over 20,000,000 photovoltaic panels to more than 80 countries.
Suntech says it is the only solar panel manufacturer to achieve this milestone. Not one to rest on its laurels, the company aims to do what it took ten years to do in just two years; hitting the 10GW mark sometime in 2013 and to provide 20 million people with access to basic, clean electricity by 2020.
“This achievement was made possible by our customers, business partners and employees who have been working throughout the global solar ecosystem to make solar electricity affordable for everyone,” said Suntech Founder and CEO, Dr. Zhengrong Shi. “With a focus on achieving retail grid parity in 50% of global markets by 2015, we will continue to work with our customers and partners to change the way the world produces and consumes energy.”
Dr Zhengrong Shi is a graduate of the University of NSW and spent a considerable amount of time in Australia in solar research before returning to China to start Suntech. Dr. Shi has continued his close association with the Australian sector; an example being Suntech Pluto solar panels, based on solar cell technology that was developed in collaboration with the University of New South Wales.
Earlier this year, Suntech announced an extension of its limited product warranty from five to ten years on all standard panels shipped since April 1st, 2011. Suntech solar panels also offer a separate 25 year power output warranty.
The company’s modules have proved popular in Australian home solar power installations; with thousands of rooftops across the nation now hosting Suntech-based arrays.
