9 June 2011

Belgian 3MW CIGS PV rooftop becomes Solyndra’s largest installation  

Solyndra International AG of Baar Switzerland, a subsidiary of Solyndra LLC of Fremont, CA, USA, which makes cylindrical copper indium gallium diselenide (CIGS) photovoltaic (PV) systems consisting of panels and mounting hardware for large commercial rooftops, has completed a 3MW system atop a distribution center in Zellik (a suburb of Brussels, Belgium) belonging to Delhaize (a supermarket chain with over 2800 stores worldwide, including 805 in Belgium and Luxemburg).

The project was completed by solar integrator U|S|E AG, a Solyndra Platinum Solution Provider based in Reutlingen, Germany, together with its Belgium subsidiary Enerdeal. The installation consists of more than 17,000 modules covering 34,000m2 of roof space and generates an annual yield of about 2400MWh (enough to power more than 700 households).

“Their simple, non-penetrating, flat-mounting system allows for the maximum level of roof coverage,” says U|S|E’s CEO Arnold Berens. “This helps companies like ours carry out quick and simple installations, reducing costs while maximizing yields per square meter – a solution that keeps both building owners and their insurers happy,” he adds.

Delhaize is a winner of the Platinum Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certification from the US Green Building Council. The Belgian multi-national has committed to reducing its CO2 emissions by 20% by 2020, and rooftop solar is a part of its strategy.

“Having worked with Solyndra on previous installations, the choice of supplier was an easy one,” says Denis Knoops, senior VP business & concept development & new business opportunities of Delhaize Belgium. “The innovative panel design allows us to maximize the installed capacity, reducing our CO2 emissions by 600 tons annually on these distribution center roofs alone,” he adds.

Supermarkets and distribution centers are typically among the largest flat-roofed commercial buildings, suiting the installation of solar panels. Solyndra says that its module design allows panels to be oriented in any direction with minimal effect on the levels of generated energy. The modules generate electricity from direct, diffuse and reflected sunlight. USE added a white Sure-Weld thermoplastic polyolefin (TPO) roof membrane from Carlisle SynTec to simultaneously maximize reflected light capture and further reduce costs through building cooling.

“This installation bears testimony to our desire and ability to engage with large-scale distributed energy projects at a time when more and more corporations are seeing the hidden value in their fixed rooftop assets,” comments Clemens Jargon, Solyndra’s president of EMEA.

Non-recourse financing for the project included assistance from the Export–Import Bank of the United States (Ex–Im Bank) and KBC Bank NV. KBC provided lower-cost, non-recourse project financing with the loan guaranteed by Ex–Im Bank under its Renewable Express program. Ex–Im’s streamlined Renewable Express process for rooftop PV financings resulted in approval for the Delhaize project in just a few weeks.

“The Delhaize project represents a significant milestone for Ex–Im Bank and its Renewable Express Program,” says Timothy Kim, in the Renewable Energy and Environmental Finance group of Ex–Im Bank. “This deal demonstrates Ex–Im Bank’s commitment to US exporters such as Solyndra, as well as to foreign companies that wish to purchase high-quality US goods,” he adds.

“Our ‘KBC Renewable Energy Team’ will be able to leverage the additional acquired know-how and experience from this particular project in future renewable energy investment projects to the benefit of Solyndra and other US exporters,” reckons says Dirk Mampaey, senior general manager, KBC Corporate Banking.

Tags: Solyndra CIGS

Visit: www.solyndra.com