Sharp energises African PV market with expansion of solar business

Share

With a company history of over 100 years, Sharp brings almost 60 years of solar expertise gained from markets across the globe to help address the pressing need to boost electricity access, and the demand for a reliable electricity supply across the African continent.

The growing population of Africa is already putting an increasing strain on existing energy sources. Coupled with a changing climate and longer dry seasons in many countries, the reliance on fossil fuel and hydropower is not sustainable in the long term. Solar PV panels offer an ideal solution thanks to the speed and ease of deployment, and the abundance of sunlight.

Customers across the African continent will have access to Sharp’s full range of reliable, efficient energy solutions and services suitable for residential, commercial and industrial use. Sharp’s range of best-in-class PV modules covers polycrystalline, monocrystalline and back contact technology with modules ranging from 48, 60 to 72 cells.

Sharp’s polycrystalline PV panels are particularly attractive for the African market due to their competitive price-performance ratio. In this segment Sharp can offer three different 60 cells panel types (ND-RK Series, ND-RB Series and ND-RJ Series) in either 270W / 275W or Sharp’s project 72 cells panel with 330W.

All Sharp PV modules have a bankable 10 year product guarantee and a 25 year linear power output guarantee. This is further enhanced by the positive power tolerance, which offers up to 5% greater power output achievement than specified on the datasheet. The modules are also certified by leading international bodies and subject to a comprehensive Sharp testing procedure which is up to 5 times stricter than required by IEC.

Barbara Rudek, Business Development Manager Africa comments “Africa has a great opportunity to support its rapid economic growth in a sustainable way, by building an environmentally friendly and reliable energy supply that will provide energy security for generations to come next to job creation. We are excited to play a role in this, and use our decades of experience to help our new partners succeed.”