Sunpower announced its plans to design and build a 1MW solar electric power plant, which is owned by Bluenergia. The solar plant will be located in Mesagne, Comune di Brindisi, Italy and has an anticipated completion date of sometime in early 2010.
The plant is situated on 2.6 hectares and will be the first power plant in Italy to use Sunpower’s T20 tracker which follows the sun during the day, allowing up to 30% more energy than fixed-tilt systems.
“We are pleased to partner with Bluenergia to deliver clean, reliable solar power in Italy,” said Luca Bandini, general manager of SunPower Italia. “The SunPower T20 Tracker follows the movement of the sun during the day, increasing sunlight capture by up to 30 percent over conventional fixed-tilt systems, while significantly reducing land use requirements. The Tracker sits above the ground, eliminating the need for ground penetration and reducing construction time and environmental impacts.”
In addition to this agreement, the two companies are planning to begin construction on a 1MW solar power system in the Copertino, Puglia, Italy region later this year.