IREX solar panels bring Vietnamese brand to the world

IREX Energy JSC, a member of SolarBK Holdings in the leading global exhibition Intersolar in Germany

Following up with the goal of reaching out to the global market so as to “globalise the domestic”, IREX plans to attend many solar power exhibition events from major markets. Besides InterSolar 2019, SolarBK also attends annual events such as SNEC PV Power International Exhibition in Shanghai, China (June), Renewable Energy International Exhibition in India (September), SPI International Exhibition (September) in South America, and most recently, The Solar Show Vietnam (April 2019).

SolarBK's attendance at big events not only affirms the Vietnamese brand's value in the worldwide market but also strengthens customers' trust in “Made in Vietnam” renewable energy solutions, according to the firm.

To export to the EU, IREX has to satisfy the standards certified by international organisations such as UL, TUV, and most importantly the IEC 61215 (design and achieving the required category standard) and IEC 61730 (safety standard for IREX panels). Additionally, some markets require IEC 62716 (ammoniac corrosion certification) and IEC 61701 (hoarfrost corrosion certification) as well.

Along with the quality certifications, IREX also achieves the ISO 14001:2015 for environmental management system for solar panel industrial activity and solar water heating system. ISO 14001: 2015 forms a strict standard to ensure that the companies will do what is claimed in terms of addressing environmental problems such as reducing negative impact to the environment and providing evidence of continuous improvement in environmental management.

Complying with these international standards indicates that IREX and SolarBK aspire to build a green world. While globally popularising renewable energy, the company also pays special attention to protecting the environment during its industrial activities.

In fact, it took IREX six months to send samples to the certification issuer’s lab and completing all the paperwork to achieve these certifications. This requires both money and time – both of which are only spent if the company has serious, long-term market development plans.

Meanwhile, solar power has only become popular in Vietnam in recent years, especially since the government issued the policy encouraging solar energy development. Up to now, most Vietnamese firms only focus on developing the domestic market and have not considered the global dimension, which explains why IREX is the only representative attending global exhibitions such as Intersolar.

Thus far, many Vietnamese households still believe that Vietnam has no domestic firms that can produce international-standard solar panels. This is understandable because the Vietnamese solar market runs 10-50 years behind China and Europe. Therefore, showcasing the Vietnamese brand IREX to the world is always SolarBK’s priority. Without great determination, Vietnamese companies will struggle to compete in their own home, especially in the context of the current “flat” market.

To prepare for this, IREX has built a special competition strategy. Not only do the high-capacity panels align with global standards, IREX also creates non-standard panels which are adjustable to the customers’ demands. Besides, SolarBK has also imported a Double Glass Machine system – one of the most modern production lines in the world – to create two-side mirrors on customers’ request.

In Vietnam, IREX is an important string of SolarBK’s value chain. SolarBK is the first enterprise in Vietnam that owns a complete value chain from manufacturing, technology, technical design, and financing to construction, operation, and maintenance. The company has an advantage in optimising expenses and providing customers the best renewable energy solutions. For example, the BigK solar power solution – SolarBK’s core product – was designed for everyone, from households to big companies, and is leading the domestic market by the number of customers registered to install at this moment, and IREX panels play an important part in BigK solar power solution.

IREX panels are created through a world-class manufacturing process

Thanks to IREX panels created through a world-class manufacturing process, BigK has successfully proved its ability to provide consistent quality to BIDV Insurance Company (BIC). BigK (which now stands for BigKilowatt), whose capacity varies from 2-10 kWp, was designed by SolarBK and distributed by SolarGATES and specifically targets households.

Thanks to this agreement, IREX – SolarBK sets new standards in the Vietnamese solar power market through certifications, commitments, and a prestigious third-party guarantor.

The success of IREX creates a firm base to achieve product credibility in the domestic market, especially when solar power in Vietnam is becoming more attractive owing to the benefit of selling surplus electricity and the impact of increasing utility costs.