6 December 2011

Soitec wins its first Chinese order for CPV systems

Fulfilling its first order for solar-energy systems from the People’s Republic of China, Soitec of Bernin, France has shipped its Concentrix concentrator photovoltaic (CPV) systems to renewable-energy power plant developer Focusic (China) New Energy Holding Co Ltd of Zhengzhou, China. This initial order is part of a partnership agreement between the two companies.

“We are impressed by the ultra-high efficiency of Concentrix technology and by the experience that Soitec has amassed through extensive R&D work, dating back to the technology’s origin at Fraunhofer ISE,” comments Focusic’s managing director Ma Wenxing.

“The renewable-energy market in China presents exciting prospects for our CPV technology,” says Hansjörg Lerchenmüller, senior VP, customer group for Soitec’s Solar Energy business unit.

Soitec’s equipment will be used to build a 3MW CPV solar power plant in Hami, a city on the edge of the Taklamakan desert in Xinjiang province. Soitec says that its CPV technology is suited to installations in ecologically sensitive desert areas because the land does not need to be graded and the indigenous plant life is not negatively impacted by shading. In addition, Concentrix systems do not require water for cooling.

With its power-generating module efficiency of up to 30% and low installation and maintenance costs, CPV technology is the most cost-efficient solution for high-volume power generation in regions with high direct normal irradiance (DNI), says Soitec. China contains an estimated 500,000 square miles of area with high DNI ratings as well as enormous and growing demand for energy.

Tags: Soitec Concentrix CPV

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