Phonix SonnenStrom AG has been commissioned to plan, deliver and construct
a large-scale solar electricity plant with a peak power output of around
1.7 megawatts (MW). The commissioning party is a solar fund initiated by
mainfrankenSolar. Back in 2005 Phonix SonnenStrom built a 1 MW green-field
plant for another fund of mainfrankenSolar. Construction work on the
ground mounted photovoltaic plant in Buchheim near Wuerzburg is due to
start in mid-July. The power plant is to be constructed with some 26,000
thin film modules made by First Solar, an American manufacturer, and is to
be connected to the grid in November of this year. The total investment
volume comes to around Euro 7 million [~USD$9 million]. The construction
of another photovoltaic plant with a peak power output of 2.2 MW on the
same site has been planned for this year as well.
And as large installations continue in Germany, so does the larger
campaign among companies to maximize their limited solar-grade silicon
stockpiles. ErSol is proposing to introduce crystalline silicon solar
cells with 3-busbar (3BB) technology they say offers up to a 2% higher
fill factor that provides a higher overall conversion efficiency. The cell
thickness will be below 200 micrometers. 3BB technology at ErSol is
currently at the prototype stage and is expected to be transferred to
series production before the end of 2006. The first modules with these
solar cells show 3% better performance relative to the conventional cell
technology with two conductors, says the company.
With the introduction of premium pricing for solar power effective April
1, 2005, Spain has become the fastest growing solar power markets in the
world. REC Solar, the solar division of Sweden-based REC, is making
inroads into this fertile market through a large 50 MW supply contract
with Spain-based Gamesa Solar. Through this arrangement, REC Solar will
provide a steady supply of solar modules to Gamesa, which is increasingly
involved in the construction of solar farms. The contract is for five
years, starting in 2006 and valued by REC at between Euro 25-35 million.
Likewise, Canada's Sustainable Energy Technologies Ltd announced that its
partner, Gabriel Benmayor SA, has begun manufacturing the company's "Sunergy"
inverters at their production facility near Barcelona, Spain. The first
product to be made in Spain is a 5 kW grid-interactive inverter for the
Spanish grid-connected solar power market. The Sunergy "5" is well suited
to the Spanish environment, says the company, as it operates at full power
over extended periods of time and in ambient temperatures in excess of 500
C. The production facility has the capacity to assemble and test up to 100
units per month and production capacity can be expanded with minimal
incremental capital cost.