Canadian Solar Enters into New Distribution Agreement in Mexico

Sam Pothecary | PV Magazine

The Chinese company has signed the agreement with local wholesale distributor of solar products DM Solar, for the company’s popular modules that will be mainly used for small and medium-scale projects, as Canadian Solar raises its profile in the Latin American country.

The reach of Canadian Solar is expanding, as the Chinese company – one of the world’s largest PV manufacturers – has now signed a distribution deal with Guadalajara-based DM Solar to supply its modules for distributed solar projects across Mexico. It is not the first move that Canadian Solar has made in the Latin American country this year, after being awarded a utility-scale project during the country’s electricity auction in March.

Canadian Solar announced that the modules that will be sold through the partnership won’t be for utility-scale PV projects, but for the distributed market, and “primarily for small and medium-scale industrial installations.”

“Canadian Solar is proud to sign DM Solar as an authorized distributor in Mexico, and we are confident that they will be pleased with our company’s innovative product quality and excellent customer service,” commented Canadian Solar CEO Shawn Qu. “We look forward to expanding our business relationship with DM Solar in 2016 and beyond, as the solar industry experiences rapid growth in Latin America.”

Qu is not wrong, as a number of Latin American countries look to boost their solar industry with new renewable energy policies and electricity auction. The solar industry in Mexico is one of the most exciting emerging PV markets, alongside Brazil, Chile and Argentina.

This distribution deal focusing on residential and commercial solar is proof that Canadian Solar wants to spread throughout the whole Mexican market, after it previously outlined details of a 63 MW PV plant that it is building in Aguacalientes, Mexico. It won that project during Mexico’s first electricity auction following the nation’s energy reform, with the company’s reputation clearly giving it a good position to take advantage of a growing industry.

“We selected Canadian Solar for several reasons: reliable product quality, strong business ethics, proven financial stability, and established bankability,” said DM Solar co-founder and president of sales Yusef Kanchi. “Not only does Canadian Solar’s business philosophy blend well with DM Solar’s corporate image, it also evokes a sense of consumer confidence that customers can appreciate.”

Discuss opportunities in solar with both Canadian Solar and DM Solar at Solar Mexico 2016