World's Largest Solar Electric Power Plant
Sunnyvale CA (SPX) Jun 02, 2005 SunPower has announced that SOLON has opened Phase One of the world's largest solar electric plant in Bavaria near Arnstein, Germany. Solarpark Gut Erlasse is a 12 MW solar electric plant located in a working agricultural field and can serve the electricity needs of thousands of customers each year. SunPower's solar cells are used in SOLON's "Mover" electricity generation system, designed for deployment in multi-megawatt solar power plants. Movers automatically tilt and rotate during the day to directly face the sun at all times. By combining SunPower's industry-leading, high-performance A-300 solar cells with the Mover's ability to maximize daily energy production, each square foot of solar cells can generate up to double the annual energy of a fixed solar array using conventional solar cells. At Solarpark Gut Erlasse, SunPower's cells are used in about one-third of the Movers, but generate a higher proportion of the energy at the Solarpark, due to their exceptional performance. Alex Voigt, SOLON's CEO, said, "We are very pleased to open Phase One of Solarpark Gut Erlasse. SunPower's solar cells are the most efficient on the market today, and allow us to generate between 30-50 percent more power per mover, compared with conventional solar cells. Our goal with the Mover program was to develop a truly industrial solar power system. "Our recently announced $300 million, five-year purchase agreement with SunPower for their high-performance cells provides SOLON with the supply security and visibility necessary for us to address the rapidly growing market for megawatt-scale solar power plants." Tom Werner, SunPower's CEO, said, "We congratulate SOLON and all of the investors in Solarpark Gut Erlasse for forging a new path for solar energy's role in our energy supply. SOLON's Mover is an ideal application for SunPower's high-performance solar cell technology. "As Europe's largest module manufacturer, SOLON is well known and highly respected for its innovative technical solutions and high-quality products. We are pleased to be a core supplier to the Mover program." Community Email This Article Comment On This Article Related Links SunPower Cypress SpaceDaily Search SpaceDaily Subscribe To SpaceDaily Express Powering The World in the 21st Century at Energy-Daily.com
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