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Thin film PV company Nanosolar said it has supplied close to 6MW of its CIGS utility panels for two installations in France and Oregon, as part of its partnership with EDF Energies Nouvelles and its US subsidiary, enXco.
Approximately 3MW were installed this summer and commissioned in September in a larger EDF EN solar power plant in Gabardan, France—said to be the first utility-scale deployment of Nanosolar panels by the French company. ColSun, a joint venture between EDF EN and Belectric, built the system, which also uses SMA central inverters.
The Oregon project, built this summer and commissioned in November, is located near Amity and consists of two systems comprising almost 3MW of Nanosolar modules. enXco developed, designed, and installed the pair of systems, which are connected to the Portland General Electric distribution grid, using Advanced Energy inverters.
Brian Stone, Nanosolar’s VP of worldwide sales and marketing, told PV-Tech during the Solar Power International show that of the panels deployed for the Gabardan project, 1MW are ~8%-efficient, 160W models, 1MW are ~8.5-efficient, 170W modules, and the other 1MW are ~10%-efficient, 200W units (corrected). The dual-site Oregon project, sized collectively at 2.88MW, features all 200W panels.
He also said the company’s 2012 goal is to sell 50% of its panel run in the US, with the other 50% split between Europe and India, where Nanosolar is part of several bids related to the emerging market’s National Solar Mission.
The company has begun officially ramping its 115MW cell-making facility in San Jose and expects to reach a 100MW run rate (based on 12% nominal panel efficiencies) next year, according to CEO Geoff Tate.
“These latest projects to be commissioned with Nanosolar panels are a significant validation of both our close relationship with EDF EN and the low-cost potential of our thin film printing technology, which we believe can fundamentally change the solar and energy industries,” said Tate in a prepared statement. “EDF Energies Nouvelles continues to be a strategic, collaborative partner to Nanosolar in the development, testing, and installation of our printing technology.”
“Nanosolar’s thin-film printing process and the Nanosolar Utility Panel continue to show great promise for low-cost solar installations,” stated Pierre-Guy Therond, head of new technologies at EDF EN. “We continue to support the development and progress of this disruptive technology from the lab through to delivery in the field.”
The company recently announced another commissioned installation, a 538KW system at the Ohio National Guard’s Camp Perry, with another 1MW project set to begin construction soon at another military site, Camp Roberts near Paso Robles, CA.
(For more on the recent Nanosolar installations, check out Ed Gunther’s blog here.)
