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The company announced at FES Guatemala that it will soon launch its JA Storage line in the region. This move comes in a market that already has 7,262 MW of installed solar capacity and is expected to increase its energy storage capacity almost twentyfold over the next decade.
With energy storage gaining prominence in Latin America’s energy planning, JA Solar is preparing to expand its presence in Central America by introducing its JA Storage line. This initiative targets a segment that, according to OLACDE projections, will require more than 46 GW of installed capacity by 2035 to support the expansion of renewable energy and strengthen the flexibility of electrical systems.
“We have some developments in our JA Storage line, with some battery solutions that have already been launched, but we will soon be launching them in this region where you can see a bit of this technology,” said Víctor Saldaña , Sales Manager Central America of JA Solar , during FES Guatemala.
This development comes in a region where Latin America and the Caribbean currently have 2.5 GW of installed energy storage capacity, of which 1.5 GW corresponds to BESS systems. Meanwhile, OLACDE projections estimate a need exceeding 46 GW by 2035. Chile leads this segment by a wide margin with more than 1 GW installed, followed by Brazil, Mexico, and Argentina.
Furthermore, Central America and the Caribbean have a combined installed solar photovoltaic capacity of 7,262 MW, according to IRENA data. The Dominican Republic leads the regional market with 2,083 MW, followed by Puerto Rico with 1,362 MW and Panama with 973 MW. Further behind are El Salvador with 738 MW, Honduras with 589 MW, and Cuba with 567 MW.
For Saldaña, the expansion of renewable generation will require markets to move beyond the incorporation of new photovoltaic capacity and strengthen the conditions necessary to operate electrical systems with a greater participation of variable resources.
“ We must have infrastructure now with so many plants coming in the future ,” he says.
In his opinion, the next stage of growth for the Central American market will depend on three main factors: the expansion of the electrical infrastructure, the incorporation of energy storage solutions, and greater robustness of the systems.
The need to add flexibility to the system also explains the growing interest in hybrid projects, where photovoltaic generation is combined with BESS systems to optimize energy management and improve grid stability.
The shift towards hybrid facilities is also changing how projects are evaluated. According to Saldaña, the market no longer focuses solely on the initial investment, but increasingly incorporates variables related to operational performance and long-term costs.
“Price is still a major factor in these projects, but we must also emphasize the importance of quality. There must always be compatibility between the module, the inverter, the BESS, and the structures. Ultimately, it’s a complete system,” he explained.
Proper integration between modules, inverters, storage systems and structures is crucial to maximizing energy production, reducing operational risks and sustaining expected profitability throughout the plant’s lifespan.
“Most projects used to focus on CAPEX, but now everyone is looking at OPEX; we have to see what comes after,” he says.
The executive points out that the discussion no longer revolves exclusively around the purchase price of the equipment, but also about its performance over decades of operation.
The growing focus on long-term performance is also raising the bar for quality, traceability, and certifications.
JA Solar operates under a vertical integration scheme that allows it to control every stage of the supply chain, from raw materials to the manufacture of the final module.
According to Saldaña, the company has strengthened the monitoring of materials and the evolution of its N-type technology, incorporating improvements aimed at optimizing the performance of the equipment and supported by international tests and certifications.
Manufacturing quality also has a direct impact on investors’ perception of risk.
“Low quality translates into uncertainty, and when investors see that, nobody wants uncertainty in their projects,” he stressed, adding that certifications continue to be a central element in the technology selection process.
Deep Blue 5.0, the new generation of modules
In parallel with the development of BESS solutions, JA Solar continues to expand its photovoltaic portfolio.
The company, which has over 315 GW of modules deployed globally and more than 21 years of experience, recently presented its Deep Blue 5.0 module.
The technology was designed to offer better performance in tropical and humid markets, characteristics present in much of Central America and the Caribbean.
“This is a module that performs much better in tropical and humid places, has better degradation over time and greatly improves the bifaciality issue, with a gain that already ranges from 80% to 85%,” he explains.
In addition, the solution incorporates power outputs between 655 W and 670 W , a design with 20 busbars and a golden size configuration, aimed at optimizing compatibility with the rest of the plant’s components.
With the expansion of its module offering and the upcoming launch of JA Storage in Central America, the company seeks to position itself in a market that is moving towards increasingly integrated projects, where photovoltaic generation, BESS systems and electrical infrastructure must evolve in a coordinated manner to sustain the region’s renewable growth. (https://www.energiaestrategica.com/en/notes/ja-solar-prepara-su-lanzamiento-del-storage-en-centroamerica-ante-la-necesidad-de-mas-de-46-gw-de-capacidad-hacia-2035)
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