Solar&StorageXtra caught up with Alastair Mounsey at InterSolar to discuss the benefits of attending international solar shows, JA Solar’s showcased products, and the key takeaways from InterSolar 2024.
Interview with Alastair Mounsey, Regional Sales Director for JA Solar
“A lot of markets are having elections coming up, and that is creating a lot of conversation about where the direction of PV is as we come out of the boom period of the last couple of years.”
Xtra: Are there any exciting projects or collaborations in the pipeline that you can share with us?
Alastair: When we were showcasing our standard products and our mass-produced products, we’ve been showing our new commercial modules. These are for the large CNI rooftops. It’s like a 520 up to 530 reversal for the first time.
JA Solar [has] started showing our mono-facial product, which is something that we’ve done a lot of research and development on to solve some of the issues on the reliability side of it. But, we’ve spent a lot of time changing the materials.
So that’s, for the first time, something quite new: a mono-facial TOPCon product from JA Solar. We’ve got a couple of them here.
Xtra: Are there any issues that you think JA Solar provides solutions to within the solar field?
Alastair: JA Solar mainly focuses on mass-produced products, focusing most on TOPCon. Because we now have quite a full range of white modules, or at least white backsheet, black modules, commercial rooftops, monofacial, bi-facial – good for different types of scenarios.
And [good also for] the C&I: someone who maybe wants to use monofacial on a rooftop, maybe bi-facial on a carport, for example. Then, of course, we have all the bigger ranges: 600 up to 640.
JA Solar is all about just having a big, full range for all applications available [that are] well priced, and everyone knows about the JA’s reliability in quality and delivery ability.
Xtra: Why is it important to attend international solar events and what are the benefits?
Alastair: We come to InterSolar to really engage with partners, old and new or potential. JA is well known as a brand and we have a lot of established relationships, so it’s mostly about making that connection.
[It’s about] having a place really to network and meet with partners, review business, review the markets, and also to an extent introduce any new products that we’re exhibiting.
Xtra: What insights do you feel you have gained from this year’s InterSolar?
Alastair: Past InterSolars have been about big price movements. This time, InterSolar has been mainly [about] the discussions on policy.
A lot of markets are having elections coming up, and that is creating a lot of conversation about where the direction of PV is as we come out of the boom period of the last couple of years.
Xtra: How do you see JA Solar’s role within the market evolving over the next 10 years?
Alastair: A company like JA Solar, which is vertically integrated, understanding of traceability, has its IP patent situation organised, has the best in class sales and operation team, and has a strong financial situation means that the market will rely more on companies like us to just keep doing what we’ve been doing. And to also be a reliable partner and use a mature attitude and mature technologies.
JA will just keep going in its stable way forward and, through our actions and delivery, the customers will just continue to and rely more on the stable player.
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