Only last month, Trina said it would not begin taking orders for the 500 Vertex until tomorrow.

Chinese solar panel maker Trina Solar says it has shipped its first lot of the 500 Vertex modules it launched late last month. The panels, which have a reported 500 W power output, will be supplied to an unnamed developer which is building a 10 MW solar project in Sri Lanka. The financial terms of the supply deal were not revealed by the manufacturer.

Jiangsu-based Trina had announced the start of commercial production of the module series two weeks ago. “Incorporating 210mm cells, the Vertex series modules integrate advanced three-piece, non-destructive cutting and high-density packaging technologies,” the company said in a statement.

Trina executive VP Yin Rongfang said, “Our customers worldwide have shown a strong interest in [the] 500 W-plus Vertex series modules, which are not only suitable for utility scale solar plants but also for commercial and industrial scale solar projects seeking to raise their level of efficiency.”

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Last month, the Chinese manufacturer said it would begin taking orders for the modules in the second quarter. Production capacity for the panels is expected to reach 5 GW this year with output set to start in the third quarter.

Chinese competitor Risen claimed to have made the world’s first shipment of 500 W modules a fortnight ago. In December, Risen announced its new 5 GW module production base in Yiwu, in Zhejiang province, would be ready to start cranking out M12 panels from early this year. The company said it expected gigawatt-level shipment volumes this year.