21 October 2011

Amonix systems powering USA’s largest CPV plant

Amonix Inc of Seal Beach, CA, USA, which makes concentrated photovoltaic (CPV) systems using III-V multi-junction cells, says that it is now powering North America’s largest utility-scale CPV power plant, a 5MW facility in Hatch, NM. The plant is owned and operated by NextEra Energy Resources LLC (a subsidiary of NextEra Energy Inc of Juno Beach, FL, USA, and the largest generator in North America of renewable energy from the wind and sun).

The Hatch Solar Energy Center generates enough electricity to supply about 1300 homes for El Paso Electric customers per year. The site was built by Blattner Energy Inc of Avon, MN (a renewable energy contractor with more than 15,000 operating megawatts to date). El Paso Electric has committed to buying the Center’s power for the next 25 years from NextEra under a long-term contract.

The new plant has 84 Amonix 60kW systems, and is now the country’s largest after the 2MW power plant in Arizona (also powered by Amonix systems). The Center is expected to offset more than 9000 tons of carbon dioxide per year (equivalent to planting 3500 trees every year that it operates).

The Hatch Solar Energy Center’s Amonix CPV systems incorporate what are claimed to be the world’s most efficient multi-junction solar cells. Dual-axis tracking systems maximize energy production throughout the day by allowing the systems to follow the sun.

“The Hatch Solar Energy Center demonstrates all of solar CPV’s advantages, from its scale to its reliability to the stability of its underlying technology,” says Amonix’s CEO Brian Robertson. “Hatch has the ideal conditions for solar energy development, and CPV is exactly the right technology to realize its full potential to provide a steady, long-term energy supply without consuming excessive amounts of land and water,” he adds. 

Tags: Amonix CPV Multi-junction cells

Visit: www.amonix.com