Intelligence Brief

Intelligence Brief 6 July- 21 July

20 July 2010

Israel´s MST deploys country's first CPV grid connection

Companies and organisations included in this round-up include: MST, Concentrix Solar, Soitec Group, California Energy Commission, Amonix, Emcore and Opel Solar

Israel’s MST deploys country’s first CPV grid connection

MST, an Israeli a solar energy systems developer and producer, has become the first Israeli company to deploy a commercial CPV system connected to the Israeli Electricity Grid and to receive feed-in tariff (FIT) under Israel's new national solar energy regulation.

The system, with installed capacity of 50KWp, received approval from the Israeli Electric Company for its connection to the national power grid and has qualified to receive Israeli feed-in tariff for the next 20 years making it possible for MST to sell electricity at profitable rates. 

The system is installed in the city of Arad in the South of Israel.

MST CVP’s system uses the principle of concentrating sun rays at the rate of over 500 times their normal intensity on multi-junction solar cells of 37% solar efficiency to create more energy in less space.

These advanced solar cells, are already used as a source for energy production for satellites in space are today adapted for ground use in solar energy systems.

“The highly efficient solar cells' and solar panels' energy production are further enhanced by MST's tracker system which enables the panels to track the sun with high precision from sunrise to sunset enabling maximum exposure to intense sunlight and maximum electricity production,” said the company

The system's measured output documented in the field for almost a year already confirms a 24.5% overall efficiency which is approximately double that of the existing standard PV systems based on silicon cells.

MST's high efficiency CPV system produces twice the amount of energy per unit of land compared to regular solar systems.

The system is installed on a steel column with a two meter stand-off from the ground enabling continued use of that same land under and around the trackers for agricultural and other purposes.

“The system constitutes a breakthrough in the field and industry" said Dov Raviv, Founder and CEO of MST

“Our near term goals and next steps include building a production line of MST systems in the north of Israel with a production capacity of 75 MW per year.  The production facility will also create 300 direct jobs” Raviv added.

Image: MST's CPV system in Arad 

Concentrix opens US subsidiary in San Diego

Concentrix Solar GmbH, a supplier of concentrator photovoltaic (CPV) systems and a division of the Soitec Group (Euronext Paris), has launched a US-based based subsidiary, hired additional industry professionals and won listing from the California Energy Commission.

“With the development and growing importance of solar farms in the US, the time is right for us to form our US venture,” said Hansjörg Lerchenmüller, CEO of Concentrix Solar.

“Due to our CPV technology’s extreme efficiency, modularity and flexibility, we are prepared to meet the needs and challenges of the US market.”

The company’s new US subsidiary – Concentrix Solar, Inc. – is based in San Diego, where Concentrix Solar installed a CPV demonstration system in July 2009 to test its solar modules under California’s climate conditions.

Since its installation, the 6-kilowatt system has proven exceptional performance, achieving 25 percent efficienc in generating electricity, said Concentrix in a company statement.

After evaluating the market potential for Concentrix Solar’s CPV technology, the company decided to open this first US office which will be led by new General Manager of Business Development, Clark Crawford.

Previously, Crawford led sales and marketing efforts at CPV systems supplier Amonix, Inc.

He has a successful track record of securing large-scale commercial orders of CPV systems.

Emcore coping with employee tragedy

A former employee fatally shot two people in a rampage at a solar power products maker Emcore Corp's  headquarters in Albuquerque, New Mexico, last Monday before killing himself, police said.

Four people were wounded in the workplace shooting spree, which apparently was related to domestic violence-related, police spokesman T.J. Wilham said.

“Emcore and our employees are in mourning globally and locally after a tragic shooting at our southeast Albuquerque, NM plant,” said the company.

Emcore representatives are working with federal, regional and local public safety officials to ensure our employees are taken care of in this time of crisis.

Immediate counseling has been available for all employees.

“Police Chief Ray Schultz and Public Safety Director Darren White are doing an excellent job addressing the situation.”

Opel Solar looks to brownfield sites to build solar farms

Opel Solar says that it will be considering brownfields – properties that sit

abandoned, idled, and underutilized which include former factories, air strips, and landfills – sometimes contaminated--as potential sites for large scale solar farms.

Opel envisages communities having a means of generating power and giving back clean, green energy to residents.

“Think of it,” says Leon M. Pierhal, CEO of OPEL Solar, Inc. “There are literally thousands of these properties across the United States just sitting there, producing nothing of substance despite the fact that they are often ideal for commercial solar farms, are sited close to existing power transmission lines, and can be redeveloped without much disturbance.”

Continuing to express his vision for this market, Pierhal added, “developing non-impact solutions for brownfields which may include a total ‘package’ of services such as land assessment, engineering, EPA assistance, remediation or mitigation of the land, installation, utility company cutover and funding or power purchase agreement (“PPA”) assistance has been a personal and OPEL Solar corporate goal of

‘giving back’ for some time.”

Pierhal, whose company aims to partner with property remediation companies to put these sites back to work, has good reason to be enthusiastic – the potential is vast.

The Department of Energy’s (DOE) National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) is evaluating brownfields across the country for their renewable energy potential on behalf of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

Some experts estimate that there may be as many as 4,000 brownfields in the United States, roughly the equivalent of 30,000 football fields.