News

21 January 2009

 

CIGS PV maker Solyndra opens European HQ

Solyndra Inc of Fremont, CA, USA, a start-up founded in 2005 that manufactures copper indium gallium diselenide (CIGS) photovoltaic (PV) systems consisting of panels and mounting hardware for commercial rooftops, has opened its European headquarters in Holzkirchen, near Munich, Germany, in response to demand in Europe.

As Solyndra GmbH’s managing director & VP for Europe, Middle East and Africa Sales, Clemens Jargon will be responsible for overseeing sales and service operations throughout European countries with active PV markets, such as Germany, Spain, Italy, Greece, and France.

Solyndra has developed a proprietary thin-film cylindrical solar panel built from tubes that capture sunlight across a 360-degree photovoltaic surface capable of converting direct, diffuse and reflected sunlight (from below) into electricity. The firm says that this ‘self-tracking’ design allows the capture of significantly more sunlight from low-slope commercial rooftops than conventional flat-surfaced solar panels, which require costly tilted mounting devices to improve the capture of direct light from the sun, offer poor collection of diffuse light, and fail to collect reflected light from rooftops or other installation surfaces. Also, gaps between the tubes and their frame let wind pass through, reducing the need for heavy fastenings or anchoring; their lighter weight also allows installation on scantier roofs. simple horizontal mounting hardware also allows fast and economical installation, claims the firm.

Solyndra’s panels are fully certified for European solar installations and have independently validated performance from multiple sources. The panels have received International Electro Technical Commission (IEC) and product certifications as well as GSE qualification for the Italian feed-in tariff system. Independent validation of the system’s energy yield performance has been performed by the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems (ISE) of Freiburg, Germany and compared to field data from multiple international installations. Solar project developers and investors can now rely on Fraunhofer ISE for accurate, independently validated system energy yield performance forecasts for Solyndra systems.

Solyndra has more than $1.5bn in orders and is entering its second year of international commercial shipments to customers in Europe and the USA. The firm is already active in Europe with international solar power project integrators such as Germany's Phoenix Solar and Gecko Logic and international roofing systems manufacturer Carlisle Energy Services (with which Solyndra agreed a multi-year sales contract worth up to $320m last November).

“The commercial rooftops of Europe are an immense opportunity for the generation of solar electricity and are of growing importance with favorable incentive support in many countries,” says Solyndra’s CEO and founder Dr Chris Gronet. “This move strengthens our ability to serve our customers in the region and allows us to play a greater role in the evolution of the European energy market towards a more sustainable future.”

See related items:

Solyndra wins $320m Carlisle PV contract for commercial roofing

Solyndra wins $325m deal to supply CIGS PV panels to SPI

Search: Solyndra CIGS

Visit: www.solyndra.com