Suntech, China Huadian New Energy partner on solar jobs

China’s Suntech Power Holdings (NYSE:STP) said today it entered into a strategic agreement with China Huadian New Energy Development to develop a total of 500 megawatts of utility-scale and commercial rooftop solar projects in China's sunny western provinces, Jiangsu province and Shanghai, during the next three years. Suntech is the world’s largest manufacturer of crystalline silicon photovoltaic modules.

"These solar systems will provide clean and renewable energy to countless Chinese households and businesses, particularly those in western regions, and facilitate sustainable development,” said China Huadian New Energy’s General Manager Zheng Fang, in a news release.

China Huadian New Energy is expected to be responsible for the project investment and development of solar projects, while Suntech plans to supply the crystalline silicon solar modules, system design and technical support. China Huadian New Energy and its four subsidiaries finance, construct, and operate electric generation facilities across a variety of cleantech sectors including wind, hydroelectric, distributed energy, solar, nuclear, biomass, thermal and tidal.

Suntech said some of the solar projects developed through this collaboration have been previously announced, including those in Qinghai province; Shaanxi province; Shizuishan city, Ningxia province; Panzhihua city, Sichuan province; and Jiangsu province (see Suntech kicks off largest solar project in Jiangsu).

In May, Suntech said new solar subsidies in China cleared the path for it to build the largest grid-connected solar installation in Jiangsu province. The 1.5-MW system is expected to be completed by October on about 19,000 square meters (204,500 square feet) of industrial rooftop. China introduced the subsidy in March in the form of a cash grant of RMB 20 ($2.90) per watt for installations 50 kilowatts or greater, which Suntech said made the project feasible (see New solar subsidies in China set to reduce installed cost by half).