Photovoltaic systems integrator Ralos is installing Masdar PV’s amorphous-silicon thin-film solar modules for the first time into a roof-mounted power system, on top of Dockweiler’s new production facilities in Neustadt-Glewe, Germany. The project, set to be grid-connected by year’s end, is another example of solar power energizing solar production, as the stainless-steel tube company counts the photovoltaic manufacturing sector as one of its markets.
Masdar PV spokesperson Alexandra Edinger told PV Tech that the 30KW (26.1KWp) system will be comprised of 290 90W single-junction a-Si modules, deployed across the 290m × 90m industrial rooftop. The accompanying photo shows the 1.4m2 panels being installed.
Construction began on the system, which features what she calls an “innovative lightweight mounting solution,” in mid-November. The DC electricity generated by the modules will be converted into AC power through SMA string inverters.
The announcement follows the news that some 10,000 Masdar TFPV modules will power a recently completed 1MW ground-mounted solar plant in Erfurt. The company has been ramping up its German manufacturing facility (equipped with Applied Materials’ SunFab turnkey line) and shipped its first products a few months ago, although the first announced installations do not incorporate the larger form factor 5.7m2 panels.
“With our new production building we have prepared for our future expansion,” said Gerhard Tegtmeyer, CEO of Dockweiler. “Together with Masdar PV and our installed solar panels, we also undertake a further step and ensure in the future the combination of entrepreneurial business with even more ecological responsibility.”
Masdar PV COO/CMO Joachim Nell believes that “more and more companies will follow the Dockweiler example by making use of open areas and factory roofs to generate electricity using solar modules and thereby providing economic advantages for their businesses. As our thin-film PV-modules produce outstanding returns with the diffuse sunlight conditions we have here in Germany, we are expecting great future demand for our products.“
Edinger added that Masdar PV has “further projects in development, and they will be communicated shortly.”
