PASADENA, Calif.--(Business Wire)--
Energy Innovations, Inc., manufacturer of high concentration solar modules and
systems, announced today that it was awarded a contract to install its high
efficiency Sunflower system at Masdar City. Located near Abu Dhabi in the United
Arab Emirates, Masdar City is the world`s first carbon neutral, zero waste city
powered entirely by renewable energy and is the headquarters of the
International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA).
Masdar City is a model community aimed at complete sustainability and energy
independence. It is planned to cover approximately 1,500 acres (6km2), house
50,000 people and will support 1,500 businesses. The Masdar Institute of Science
and Technology will be located at Masdar with ties to the Massachusetts
Institute of Technology (MIT) in the United States. Cars are not allowed in the
city so residence will use mass and personal transit. All energy will be
generated from a variety of renewable sources.
"It is quite appropriate that a forward-looking city like Masdar should choose
to install CPV technology," said Joe Budano, Energy Innovations` CEO. "CPV
brings great advantages over traditional PV and thin film and represents the
future of solar in these high solar resource locations. We are proud to be
chosen for this very important project and expect to demonstrate the value and
robustness of our HCPV technology in this high radiation and high ambient
temperature environment."
Energy Innovation`s Sunflower Highly Concentrated PV (HCPV) technology is
particularly well suited for high temperature conditions typically associated
with high solar resource locations such as Masdar City. Sunflower`s HCPV system
uses triple junction cells which were originally designed to power satellites in
the harsh environment of space. These cells are less affected by high ambient
temperatures than comparable crystalline silicon PV or thin film modules. In
fact, typical PV modules can degrade 15% to 20% from their rated power in hot
desert conditions. CPV modules, using heat tolerant triple junction cells, only
lose only about 5% of their rated power in these same conditions. A module`s
rated power is measured at 25 degrees Celsius, not at working temperatures. As a
result, the Sunflower HCPV system will maintain its efficiency and output more
energy in kWh than comparable PV or thin film modules in these sunny desert
locations.
Energy Innovations participated in this international tender process which was
sponsored by the Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company (ADFEC) in conjunction with the
Spanish Instituto de Sistemas Fotovoltaicos de Concentracion (ISFOC). ISFOC is
an important center of excellence for the CPV industry and has sponsored several
research projects in the area of concentrated photovoltaics. ISFOC was
instrumental in the construction of 3MW of CPV facilities in various locations
in Spain.
About Energy Innovations, Inc.
Founded in 2001 at Idealab, Energy Innovations has pioneered the development of
Highly Concentrated PV (HCPV) as a means to reduce the cost of solar energy.
Today, Energy Innovations has developed the world`s highest concentration, most
efficient and lowest cost HCPV system. By taking a holistic approach to system
design, EI integrates the Sunflower 29% efficient module, 2-axis tracker,
mounting structure and primary wiring, significantly reducing installation time
and total installed costs. In this way, Energy Innovations has created the
lowest LCOE solar solution available today. Learn more at
http://www.energyinnovations.com
© 2009 Energy Innovations, Inc. All rights reserved. Energy Innovations and
Sunflower are registered trademarks of Energy Innovations, Inc. All other
trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
Stephan West
Idealab for Energy Innovations
+1-626-685-4934
stephan@idealab.com
Copyright Business Wire 2009
