27 January 2011

Cyrium’s QDEC CPV cells deployed in 200kW plant in China

Cyrium Technologies Inc of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, a fabless developer and supplier of multi-junction concentrator photovoltaic (CPV) cells for the terrestrial solar energy market, has announced the opening of a 200kW HCPV (high-concentrating photovoltaic) power station owned and operated by China’s Qingdao HG Solar Energy Co Ltd.

The HCPV systems are powered by Cyrium’s QDEC (quantum dot enhanced cell) high-efficiency triple-junction CPV cells installed in modules manufactured by Shanghai-based Suntrix Co Ltd (which makes HCPV systems for utility-scale and rooftop applications) and mounted on tracking systems designed by Suntrix and produced by Qingdao HG Solar Energy. Suntrix’s SCPV-500 HCPV panel has a concentration ratio of 576, and has been deployed at different locations in China.

“Cyrium has been working for more than a year to establish a presence in the Chinese market,” says CEO & president Harry Rozakis. “Our relationship with a great company like Suntrix is just the first step in our efforts to bring Cyrium’s patented QDEC concentrator photovoltaic technology to the Chinese market,” he adds.

“The plant is operating with a system efficiency of 25%, which means this station is not only the highest scale of HCPV in production, but also the highest efficiency for photo-electric conversion in China,” believes Suntrix CEO Guy Rong.

Collaboration between Suntrix and Cyrium on this demonstration project began several months ago and highlights the opportunity that exists in China for HCPV systems, reckons Cyrium. Construction of the power station started last November and was completed this month, demonstrating the ease and speed with which HCPV systems can be deployed for utility-scale solar energy projects, it adds.

Cyrium’s portion of the project received support from Environment Canada’s Asia Pacific Partners (APP) program, as part of the Canadian government’s effort to bring Canadian and China-based firms together to foster cross-border collaboration on cleantech projects.

During the opening ceremonies, Xu Dingming (counselor of the State Council, chairman of the National Energy Expert Advisory Committee, and former director of the National Energy Bureau) congratulated each of the project’s contributors on the success of the power plant and requested the parties to continue to work toward China’s cleantech effort by accelerating the development of China-based PV power. Also, Wu Dacheng (deputy director of the China Photovoltaic Society) commented that he foresees a bright future for the development of HCPV in China.

HCPV is considered to the third generation of PV technology, making use of low-cost, light-concentrating optical systems and group III-V semiconductor materials for the solar cell. Cyrium says that the photo-electric conversion efficiency is twice that of silicon technology and requires much less land area than other technologies for deployment. It also has the highest possibility of reducing power-generation cost to the level of using coal, which is of great importance in China. The firm says that completion of the 200kWp project is a key event in moving China towards greater deployment and application of HCPV systems to meet its rapidly growing energy needs.

Tags: Cyrium CPV

Visit: www.cyriumtechnologies.com

Visit: www.suntrix.cn