1 August 2016

Stion partners with WGL, New Energy Equity, Solbright Renewable Energy and RER to power largest school project in New York State

Nanostructure-based CIGS (copper indium gallium sulphur diselenide) thin-film solar module maker Stion Corp of San Jose, CA, USA says that its solar panels are being used in a new solar electric array that is powering the Avon Central School District in Avon, NY. The 1.5MW array, which is the largest supplying electricity to a school district in the state of New York, will supply all of the school district's electricity needs and generate an additional $75,000 worth of annual electricity credits.

The project was co-developed by New Energy Equity of Annapolis, MD, and RER Energy Group of Reading, PA. RER has longstanding relationships with the Avon community and initiated the development, at which point New Energy Equity completed third-party financing and equipment selection. Final engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) was completed by Solbright Renewable Energy of Charleston, SC, an EPC firm specializing in commercial, municipal and military solar projects. WGL Holdings company WGL Energy Systems owns and operates the project and provides electricity to the school district. Partial funding for the project was provided by NY-Sun, Governor Cuomo's $1bn initiative to scale up solar energy in the state and develop a self-sustaining solar industry.

Stion's solar panels were manufactured in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, and include a 25-year warranty, which will enable the district to generate more than $1m in electricity credits over the lifetime of the panels.

"Stion's CIGS modules were selected because they outperform crystalline silicon modules in both warm and cold climates," comments New Energy Equity's CEO Ian Palmer.

"Stion's CIGS modules are the most stable energy producers available due to their industry-leading low temperature coefficient of -0.26%/°C," claims Stion's VP of sales Jim McGrath. "The glass-on-glass encapsulation prevents moisture ingress and delivers long-term power stability with no light-induced degradation (LID) or potential-induced degradation (PID)."

Additionally, the panels are frameless, which minimizes cleaning requirements, as dust, pollen, snow and other debris wash off the edge of the frameless module when it rains, rather than collecting on the edge. This enables the panels to maximize energy production relative to framed panels, the firm adds.

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