JA Solar will supply 420MW of photovoltaic (PV) modules for the first phase of the Front Runner demonstration PV project in Datong, Shanxi province, China.

The deal includes 150MW of Percium monoscrytalline modules, which feature cells using passivated emitter and rear cell technology.

The first phase of the Front Runner project has a total installed capacity of 950MW, with JA Solar delivering 44% of the modules

Front Runner program was established by China’s National Energy Administration for promoting the development of advanced solar PV technology by domestic suppliers.

This demonstration project is the first project among several GW-scale projects. Total investment for the first phase of this project is around Yuan 10bn ($1.6bn) and will feature 13PV power stations.

After completion, the project is expected to generate about 1.5 billion kWh of on-grid energy per year and can contribute over Yuan250m in tax revenue and save 480,000 tonnes of carbon emissions per year.

The power output of 60-cell modules can exceed 295W and that a 72-cell module exceeds 345W. JA Solar says that the modules can perform under low-light conditions, have lower temperature coefficient, lower, have lower light attenuation and have higher Potential Induced Degradation (PID) resistance.

JA Solar president Jian Xie said: "JA Solar’s modules are not only taking an ever larger share of the market in China, but are also becoming increasingly popular in other countries.

"Our modules are in short supply, so high-efficiency products are increasingly favored by our customers. We intend to continue our track record of technical innovation, with the goals of better conversion efficiency and improved manufacturing processes."