21 December 2010

CPV firm OPEL receives Innovation Award

OPEL Solar International Inc, which makes high-concentration photovoltaic (HCPV) panels (as well as both roof- and ground-based solar trackers for mounting them), says that its operating subsidiary OPEL Solar has been honored with the 2010 Innovation Award from Connecticut’s Greater Valley Chamber of Commerce.

The firm was recognized for ongoing contributions to solar energy expansion with its patented solar HCPV technology and unique solar tracker systems. At the beginning of December, OPEL Solar said that it had reached agreement to begin construction of a 446kW solar power plant (consisting of 1650 PV panels mounted on 50 TF-800 trackers) at the 70-acre headquarters of Toray Plastics America Inc (TPA) in North Kingstown, RI (Toray’s first solar installation in the US and one of the largest utility-grade solar plants in Rhode Island). The Chamber of Commerce also cited OPEL Solar’s 33 patents (plus 17 additional patents pending) as evidence of the firm's track record of innovation.

“OPEL’s concentrating solar photovoltaic modules can be used for the generation of electricity in utility-scale solar power plants, as well as commercial and industrial building applications,” notes says OPEL Solar’s CEO Leon M. Pierhal. “All these applications contribute significantly to economic growth and job creation in the region.”

OPEL Solar’s products are based on technology designed and developed in cooperation with the University of Connecticut and Canada’s National Research Council, noted Greater Valley Chamber of Commerce chairman Patrick Charmel at the award presentation at The Oronoque Country Club in Stratford, CT.

The Greater Valley Chamber of Commerce introduced the Innovation Award three years ago in recognition of the central role that innovation plays in the region’s economic prosperity. The awards were selected by members of The Greater Valley Chamber of Commerce, representing the towns of Ansonia, Beacon Falls, Derby, Oxford, Seymour, and Shelton. Presenting sponsors for the event were Connecticut Light & Power, and Yankee Gas Services Company.

Tags: OPEL CPV

Visit: www.opelinc.com