Yingli Solar’s Dealer Launch, held in conjunction with the Australian Solar Council’s (ASC) Professional Development Days, was well-received in Brisbane, Sydney, Canberra, Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth. ASC Vice-President Glen Morris presented highlights of professional development for solar installers, and high on the agenda were several topics that are on the minds of most in the solar industry.

The recent announcement of the reduction to the Victorian feed-in tariff, grid stability, changes to the AS/NZS5033 Australian Standard for Installation of Solar Photovoltaic (PV) Systems and battery back-up, to name just a few, were key issues discussed at the events. They were supported by the overall framework provided by the Solar Best Practice Program from ASC, which entails best practice in selling, installation and software to support the process.

Steve Johnson, Director of Thermoelectric, attended the Brisbane event and noted that it was “Well worth the time to come along to.”

Yingli Solar, part of Yingli Green Energy Australia, is a relatively new player in the Australian market yet one of the largest vertically-integrated PV manufacturers in the world, and sponsored these events.

Yingli recently became the world’s largest manufacturer in terms of module shipments, and has approximately 4.5 gigawatts of its products installed globally with a distribution network across 38 countries.

The company recently announced its master distributor agreement with Solar360 Pty Ltd. Solar360 has been established to address a gap in the wholesale solar equipment market in Australia; the gap exists in providing value-for-money products, equipment, on-time delivery and logistics excellence for installation companies.

Solar360 manages the supply chain of stock for companies that install solar systems in residential or commercial markets. The company will promote and sell 30 megawatts of Yingli’s solar modules in Australia in the following 12 months through a unique accredited dealer network of up to 100 accounts across all geographic regions of Australia.

The Yingli dealer network is based on four fundamental beliefs:

• Analysis of customers’ circumstances
• Explore the options
• Install with care
• Monitor your systems performance.

Through this national dealer network, the Yingli brand will be launched directly to the Australian consumer. This brand presence will be build using traditional media, social media, websites, marketing collateral, community engagement, sponsorship, contests and more. Selected dealers will be supported with collateral and marketing materials, network development and ongoing training.

The consumer-driven marketing campaign is focussed on the three Yingli consumer messages:

• Having your energy circumstances professionally assessed
• Understanding your options
• Ensuring your installation is conducted with care.

In September and October 2012, dealer recruitment events took place; these will be followed by training programs in November 2012. The main campaign in February 2013 will be preceded by consumer engagement programs starting in December 2012.