en.Wedoany.com Reported - Chinese solar cell and module manufacturer Aiko has signed a 1.2GW module supply agreement with Infinity Power to provide modules for the Nefer Menya solar-storage project currently under development in Egypt. The announcement was made at the Africa Energy Forum currently taking place in Cape Town, South Africa.
The Nefer Menya project will include 1.2GW of solar photovoltaic capacity and 600MWh of battery energy storage system (BESS). Infinity Power is a joint venture co-owned by Egyptian renewable energy developer Infinity and UAE state-owned developer Masdar. The project has secured financing from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), which increased its equity stake in Infinity last year. EBRD also provided a loan for another Egyptian solar-storage project—the 200MW Benban project—developed by Infinity Power and HAU Energy.
"This project pushes us beyond standard module specifications," said Omar Magdy, Senior Procurement Manager at Infinity Power. "Aiko has demonstrated not only exceptional technical performance but also a deep understanding of the unique operational challenges in this region." Aiko will supply its all-black back contact (ABC) modules for the project, noting that these modules will help address operational challenges in Egypt's desert environment, including high solar irradiance, extreme temperatures, and continuous sand abrasion.
Last year, experts from the Dubai EDWA R&D Center wrote for PV Tech Premium that while desert environments offer significant potential for deploying large-scale utility solar projects, the environmental challenges are difficult to overcome. They estimated that the degradation rate of photovoltaic modules in desert environments could be 1.25 percentage points higher than in "temperate climates." Aiko developed ABC technology and announced plans this year to invest approximately $243 million to support the manufacturing of its ABC cells, including converting a 5GW passivated emitter rear contact (PERC) manufacturing plant in China to ABC production. The company also participated in the technology "legal battle" that affected much of the solar industry this year, ultimately signing a licensing agreement with Singapore-based manufacturer Maxeon for its back contact (BC) cell and module technology patents.
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