News

8 July 2009

 

Solyndra signs sales contract with Umwelt-Sonne-Energie for $238m

Solyndra Inc of Fremont, CA, USA, which was founded in 2005 to manufacture copper indium gallium diselenide (CIGS) photovoltaic (PV) systems consisting of panels and mounting hardware for commercial rooftops, has signed a long-term sales contract with Umwelt-Sonne-Energie GmbH (USE) of Holzgerlingen, Germany, an integrator of large-scale PV systems. The panels will be manufactured at Solyndra’s plants in Fremont and Milpitas, CA. The Euro-based contract (worth up to $238m) extends through 2013 and raises Solyndra’s contractual backlog to more than $2bn.

“USE’s strong presence in Germany and eastern Europe [with locations in Czech Republic and Croatia], coupled with Solyndra’s breakthrough PV systems, will accelerate the deployment of world-class photovoltaic installations on commercial rooftops in these very attractive markets,” says Dr Kelly Truman, Solyndra’s VP of marketing & business development.

Solyndra has developed a proprietary thin-film cylindrical solar panel built from tubes that capture sunlight across a 360º 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, roof-penetrating 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 revolutionary technology redefines performance for large roofs compared to conventional PV technologies in terms of installation cost, non-penetrating wind performance, rooftop loading, and energy production per roof,” says USE’s managing director Arnold Berens.

See related items:

CIGS PV maker Solyndra signs $115m contract with EBITSCHenergietechnik

Solyndra secures $535m DoE loan guarantee

Solyndra completes commercial rooftop PV system in Livermore

Search: Solyndra CIGS PV

Visit: www.use-energie.de

Visit: www.solyndra.com