15 February 2011

Nazca completes second Solyndra installation in France

Solyndra Inc of Fremont, CA, USA, which makes cylindrical copper indium gallium diselenide (CIGS) photovoltaic (PV) systems consisting of panels and mounting hardware for commercial rooftops, says that fully integrated engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contractor Nazca (a Platinum Solyndra Solution Provider) has completed a 1.2MW solar system installation on the rooftop of the food conditioning facility AZ Méditerranée in Cavaillon, in the South of France. The firm, which conditions and imports fruit and vegetables, wished to renovate its 17,500m2 (188,000ft2) rooftop and ensure maximum waterproofing.

Nazca was founded by GSE Group of Avignon, France in late 2007, and has since developed and implemented PV systems in excess of 4MW. Their project portfolio exceeds 30MW, currently exclusively in the French market. The latest installation is Solyndra’s second for Nazca in France (after completing a 1.28MW installation on a large warehouse close to Toulouse) and one of Solyndra’s largest worldwide.

“Having experienced the speed and efficiency of the first Solyndra installation, choosing Solyndra for this second project was a no-brainer,” says Nazca’s general manager Julien Puel. “Much like the first installation, the excellent support and unique Solyndra product made it simple to install the panels and complete the project quickly,” he adds. For this turnkey project, developed for a third-party investor, Nazca completed the installation and the grid-connection process in just 11 weeks.

The building installation concept exploits Solyndra system advantages including the light weight. The non-penetrating mounting, with no ballast, allowed Nazca to design a system that generated significant power without requiring additional engineering. Installed on a new white reflective PVC membrane, the system consists of more than 6800 Solyndra panels and will generate 1500MWh/year of electricity. According to the EPA carbon calculator, this is equivalent to powering 662 households.

“I am confident our partnership will lead to several more successful installations,” says Clemens Jargon, president EMEA & corporate senior VP, Solyndra. “This particular Solyndra system provides more than 77% net photovoltaic roof coverage and maximizes power density,” he adds. “We are seeing more and more leading companies like Nazca invest in innovative and high-value rooftop installations.”

See related items:

Nazca completes 1.28 MW Solyndra solar system installation

Tags: Solyndra CIGS

Visit: www.solyndra.com

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