The Belt and Road Initiative offers crucial support for Chinese companies going aboard, and Trina Solar has responded to the initiative through numerous exchanges and partnerships, says Colin Yang, chief branding officer of Trina Solar.

These partnerships and exchanges have been with financial institutions, major enterprises and local governments, during which Trina Solar has sought to understand and respect local policies, laws, culture and customs, and contributed to environmental protection, technology, the economy and corporate social responsibility commitments, Mr Yang told the International Belt and Road Cooperation Forum on Clean Energy Resources in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province. The forum was held in conjunction with the 2019 Clean Energy Expo China & China Power Conference from Sept 4 to 6.

Mr Yang outlined Trina's story as he spoke on the theme “Developing clean power in countries and regions along the Belt and Road”.

He said Trina Solar had linked up with the US company General Electric to jointly develop the Japanese clean energy market; with Mitsui &Co of Japan on a joint PV plant project in Mexico; and with the Ministry of Environment and Clean Energy of the Maldives to provide solar-storage microgrid solutions for 27 of its islands. In the last of these cases a diesel-only model of power generation had been transformed and had reduced the impact of diesel-generation outages or instability on the electricity use of the local people.

Trina has also pushed for the establishment of a global PV industry association to provide a platform for industry players from different countries and regions to conduct dialogue and negotiations, and resolve differences and trade disputes, Mr Yang said.

Looking ahead, Trina Solar hopes to be able to provide high-value, low-cost comprehensive solutions for the development and popularisation of clean energy resources in countries along the Belt and Road, he said.

It will advocate a low-carbon, decentralised and smart direction of travel for the industry, leading the way in the development of smart PV power and the energy Internet of Things, in order to accomplish its mission of “using solar to benefit all mankind”.