News

10 May 2010

 

Global Solar Energy powers largest CIGS PV rooftop installation

Global Solar Energy Inc of Tucson, AZ, USA, which manufactures copper indium gallium diselenide (CIGS) thin-film photovoltaic cells, says that its technology is powering what is claimed to be the world’s largest CIGS rooftop installation. The system, currently producing 820kW of solar energy for a plastics manufacturer in Orgiano, Italy, was made possible by Spanish solar module maker Yohkon Energía SL and CDM Italy, a PV specialist and Italian branch for Espacasa SL Spain and Global Solar Energy.

As a strategic partner of Global Solar, Yohkon Energía makes modules based on the firm’s CIGS material. Global Solar claims to be the only firm reliably producing CIGS that can be encapsulated in either traditional glass modules or in a flexible laminate, and has achieved 11% average solar cell efficiency.

“Yohkon recognizes the tremendous technological benefits that CIGS PV offers, including its high power density, which is why we have been recommending the technology for installations throughout our markets in Spain and Portugal,” says Yohkon Energía’s general manager Jose Maria del Barrio. “We partnered with Global Solar because it has proven to be the industry leader in delivering high-efficiency CIGS at a manufacturing capacity that allows us to ensure that this project will be the first of many,” he adds.

“CIGS is one of the most efficient thin-film technologies, with enormous potential to make new applications - such as integration with building materials - cost effective and viable,” says CMD Italy’s general manager Enrico Faedo.

Verified by the US Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Global Solar Energy is the first company to exceed the 13% efficiency target using CIGS thin-films on a flexible stainless-steel substrate. The firm has been selling CIGS products on a flexible substrate for more than six years, to market segments including portable solar chargers, traditional glass modules, and next-generation building-integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) products.

“The recently completed rooftop system in Italy is a milestone for the CIGS market,” reckons Global Solar Energy’s CEO Dr Jeff Britt.

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Visit: www.globalsolar.com