It has been recently reported that the Apriltsi solar power project, located in the southern town of Pazardzhik, Bulgaria, has completed the installation of over 824,000 photovoltaic modules, totaling a capacity of 400 MW. By the end of May, 251 megawatts were officially operational, with the remainder undergoing testing and set for imminent activation. This makes the 400 MW Apriltsi project not only Bulgaria's largest solar park but also the largest in Eastern Europe and the Balkans, capable of powering 96 thousand homes.
Of particular note, the Apriltsi project represents the world's largest single-site heterojunction solar project. Huasun Energy, a leading global player in heterojunction technology, has been exclusively supplying HJT PV modules to the project since 2021, chosen for their exceptional performance, swift delivery, and professional service.
The Apriltsi project distinguishes itself with advanced heterojunction (HJT) photovoltaic panels renowned for superior efficiency and output compared to traditional crystalline silicon cells, along with enhanced durability and lower degradation. Furthermore, the superior temperature coefficient of HJT modules ensures stable output even at high ambient temperatures during the summer season.
This type of HJT panels also has better low-light performance, such as in cloudy weather or at sunset. In fact, the panels in the Apriltsi solar park are not located south to catch the sun, as they say, but east-west, which is why the plant has higher production in the morning and evening hours and lower in the afternoon. However, this helps to avoid precisely the midday production peak, when electricity exchange prices are at their lowest.
As a prominent representative of n-type high-efficiency photovoltaic technology products, HJT modules are widely acclaimed in the European market for their high conversion efficiency, high power output, high bifaciality, high reliability, and low carbon emissions. "We believe that maybe in five years, heterojunction is going to be the majority of the production of solar panels in the world," said Veselin Zahariev, Chief Financial Officer of Solar Green Energy, the owner of the Apriltsi project, in an interview with Xinhua News, expressing full recognition of Huasun's HJT products.
According to feedback from the project's EPC company, Inercom, "Currently, the Apriltsi project has achieved successful grid connection and Huasun's heterojunction modules have demonstrated power generation capabilities surpassing other photovoltaic modules, exceeding initial production estimates by over 30%. The project fully utilizes Huasun's heterojunction modules, and we are very satisfied with their quality."
Unlike most solar parks, the installation of the panels is at a height of 2.2 meters and one can easily walk under them if they are in a horizontal position. The distance between the strings (that's what the rows of panels are called) is over 12 meters and there is no shading of the panels, which allows the land to be used even for agricultural purposes. The smart trackers automatically adjust the position of the solar panels to ensure optimal sunlight capture throughout the day. The goal is maximum efficiency of the project under market conditions.
Matthew Jin, Vice President of Huasun, stated in the interview, "We started supplying solar panels for the plant in 2021. This is the first industrial project in Bulgaria built entirely with double-sided HJT solar panels. During their production, we fully complied with the requirements of the engineering team of Inercom - the company that builds the high-tech plant.
Our partnership with Inercom and Real States in the implementation of the Apriltsi project is sustainable and full-fledged, because we integrated the engineering teams of both companies. It is a privilege for us to have worked with them and together we have built one of Europe's largest photovoltaic plants with HJT modules. In the long-term cooperation ahead, Huasun will continue to provide high-efficiency heterojunction products of GW-level and above to the Balkans, promoting regional energy transformation."
With a production capacity of 20 GW in heterojunction technology and a track record of supplying over 5 GW of HJT products to more than 40 countries and regions, Huasun remains committed to advancing high-efficiency renewable energy solutions across the Balkans and beyond.