Global Solar Energy Powers World´s Largest CIGS PV Rooftop Installation
Global Solar Energy (GSE), CDM Italy and Yohkon Energía join efforts to build landmark CIGS rooftop array in Orgiano (Venetia) Italy / CIGS solar cells manufactured by GSE selected due to high efficiency
Tucson, Ariz. / Berlin, May 21st, 2010 - Global Solar Energy, a leading manufacturer of high-efficiency Copper Indium Gallium diSelenide (CIGS) solar material, recently announced that its technology is powering the largest CIGS rooftop installation in the world. The system, currently producing 820 kW of solar energy for a plastics manufacturer in Orgiano (Venetia), Italy, was made possible by Yohkon Energía S.A., a leading Spanish producer of solar modules and applied solutions, CDM Italy, a photovoltaic (PV) specialist and Italian branch for Espacasa S.L. Spain, and Global Solar Energy.
As a strategic partner of Global Solar, Yohkon Energia manufactures modules based on the company’s CIGS material. CIGS is a thin-film PV technology, which offers significant benefits over traditional crystalline silicon PV such as lowering cost of materials, lighter weight, flexibility, and improved efficiency in low light and extreme temperatures. Global Solar is the only company reliably producing CIGS that can be encapsulated in either traditional glass modules or in a flexible laminate.
“Yohkon recognizes the tremendous technological benefits that CIGS PV offers, including its high-power density, which is why we have been recommending the technology for installations throughout our markets in Spain and Portugal,” says Jose Maria del Barrio, general manager, Yohkon Energía SL. “We partnered with Global Solar because it has proven to be the industry leader in delivering high-efficiency CIGS at a manufacturing capacity that allows to ensure that this project will be the first of many.”
“CIGS is one of the most efficient thin-film technologies, with enormous potential to make new applications such as integration with building materials cost effective and viable.” says Enrico Faedo general manager, CMD Italy. “Partnering with CIGS technology veterans like Global Solar was a natural fit to help us reach our goal to complete the largest CIGS PV rooftop system.”
Verified by the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Global Solar Energy is the first company to exceed the 13 percent efficiency target using CIGS thin films on a flexible stainless steel substrate. Global Solar has been selling CIGS products on a flexible substrate for more than six years and bringing the low cost, high efficiency and high-performance of CIGS technology to a variety of applications. From portable solar chargers, to traditional glass modules, to next generation building integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) products, Global Solar Energy’s cells are the enabling technology behind several growing market segments.
“The recently completed rooftop system in Italy is a milestone for the CIGS market as much as it is for Global Solar,” said Dr. Jeff Britt, chief executive officer, Global Solar Energy. “Given that Global Solar is producing CIGS solar cells with efficiency well above 11 percent, we recognize that the Yokhon Energia and CDM Italy system is merely the first in a new chapter of solar technology adoption. We look forward to working with these organizations as Global Solar’s technology in both glass modules and BIPV continues to be applied in systems around the world.”
About Global Solar Energy, Inc.
Global Solar Energy, Inc., is a solar industry leader that manufactures highly-efficient thin-film solar cells for glass module or flexible material products. Global Solar is the only Copper Indium Gallium diSelenide (CIGS) manufacturer in full-scale production on a flexible substrate and has achieved eleven percent average solar cell efficiency. Its thin-film CIGS strings are not dependent on silicon and instead use highly-available raw materials that are easily integrated into a wide range of applications for use in commercial, residential, utility-scale and government products. The PV-company maintains production sites in Tucson, US State of Arizona, and in Berlin, Germany. For more information, please visit www.globalsolar.com.