NEWS I ROUNDUP
Concentrator Optics raises €3.5 million
Concentrating photovoltaics is gaining momentum with an expected industry growth exceeding 400 % for the current year. Following this trend, Concentrator Optics raised € 3.5 million in equity, debt and grant financing.
Capricorn Cleantech Fund, Leuven, Belgium, and the German Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau (KfW) contributed to the equity raise. The proceeds shall be used for installing a 40 MW silicone-on-glass lens production line, for organizational development and for fuelling its continued commercial growth.
With concentrating photovoltaics (CPV), sunlight is concentrated by factor of 500 to 1,200 employing flat Fresnel lenses in order to generate electricity by using very small and highly efficient cells. This technology enjoys rapid growth due to the double efficiency compared with traditional photo-voltaic systems in sunny
climates with high direct irradiation levels. Concentrator Optics is one of the few global manufacturers of Fresnel lenses and is the only company to offer lenses in both PMMA as silicone-on-glass technology.
Dr. Ralf Leutz, co-CEO and one of the founders of Concentrator Optics, appreciates the capital influx: “CPV is ready for main-stream and this investment allows us to accelerate our growth. We deliver production lines for many millions of lens parquets to be installed in solar power plants around the world”.
Paul Decraemer, Head of the Cleantech Investment Practice at Capricorn Venture Partners, ex-plains the investment rationale: “Concentrator Optics possesses outstanding know-how in design and production of Fresnel lenses and is positioned right at the bottleneck of the upcoming CPV industry. The growth of this industry will generate
Solar Junction Receives 5 MW Order
from SolFocus Solar Junction, a developer of multi- junction solar energy cells for the concentrated photovoltaic (CPV) market, has announced an agreement with SolFocus for a 5-megawatt order.
"It is great to see growth in the sales and manufacturing sides at Solar Junction. It's an indication that, 'technical' innovation in solar, will win the day," said Jim Weldon, CEO of Solar Junction. "Our multi-junction solar cell technology provides the pathway to higher efficiency leading to higher performance for CPV system end users."
Solar Junction continues to develop leading high-efficiency solar cells to enhance the competitiveness of concentrated photovoltaics.
An optimized cell directly correlates to module performance enhancements and a higher efficiency cell drives LCOE towards grid parity.
"This order evidences SolFocus' confidence in Solar Junction and its cell
technology, as the companies work to make CPV cost-competitive and sustainable with quality products," said Bob Legendre, President and COO of SolFocus.
In March, SolFocus announced a 50 megawatt project in Baja California, Mexico. The 50 megawatt project is the first tranche of a planned 450 megawatt capacity for the facility. Construction is scheduled to begin in late 2012.
Solar Junction's announcement falls on the heels of a SUNPATH award from the Department of Energy. SUNPATH is part of the DOE's SunShot Program, which aims to increase PV manufacturing in the U.S. through investments in technologies that are sustainable with competitive cost and high performance.
Earlier this year, Solar Junction signed a manufacturing agreement with IQE and continues on a path to ramp up high- volume manufacturing of its World Record multi-junction solar cell.
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www.solar-international.net I Issue IV 2012
a high demand for Fresnel lenses and Concentra-tor Optics is ready to deliver”.
Bettina Krüger-Derst, Senior Investment Manager of the ERP-Startfonds, confirms the interest of KfW: “Germany is the birth place for new technologies and engineering solutions addressing climate change. Concentrator Optics is a global innovator in the emerging HCPV market confirming the excellent German track record in renewable energy technologies.”
ET Solar completes 9.6 MW plant
ET SOLAR GROUP CORP. (“ET Solar”), has announced completion of two ground-mounted PV power plants in Germany with total installed capacity of over 9.6 MW.
The plants are both ground mounted and are 4 MW and 5.6 MW by size. They are located in Oberröblingen, 100 kilometers west of Leipzig, and Rätzlingen, 100 kilometers from Hamburg respectively. ET Solutions AG, ET Solar’s wholly owned subsidiary, performed full engineering, procurement and construction tasks with all PV modules sourced from ET Solar’s China plant. Mr. Dennis She, President and Chief Executive Officer of ET Solar, commented: “We are very pleased that our business relationship in the past three years has evolved so strongly and we look forward to further growing with Wattner with the solid track record we have built up.”
Mr. Guido Ingwer, Managing Partner of Wattner, added: “Our relationship with ET Solar in the past few years has been more than satisfactory and the firm has really proven to be an excellent partner that provides both strong EPC services. We look forward to working with ET Solar to develop more large scale PV projects in the future.”
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