Xantrex inverters installed at world’s largest thin-film solar plant in Germany
Vancouver, B.C., May 24, 2007
Source: Xantrex.com /press release
http://www.xantrex.com/web/did/1690/readnews.asp
Xantrex Technology Inc. (TSX:XTX) today announced that its inverters have been successfully installed and connected to the electrical grid by German system integrator juwi solar GmbH, for a 6 megawatt (MW) photovoltaic (PV) solar installation in Oberschütz, Germany, northeast of Leipzig.
The “Rote Jahne” solar power plant produces approximately 6 MW of power and is currently the world’s largest photovoltaic project utilizing thin-film modules from First Solar, Inc., and is the seventh largest PV plant worldwide.
Eleven 500 kilowatt (kW) Xantrex GT500E inverters, specially designed to optimize the performance of thin-film technology, were installed to efficiently convert direct current (DC) power from solar modules into high-quality alternating current electricity (AC) for delivery to the electrical grid. The plant will produce approximately 5.7 million kilowatt-hours (kWh) of solar electricity annually, enough to power approximately 1,900 households. The clean energy produced by the solar plant will eliminate 3,750 tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) that would otherwise be emitted into the atmosphere.
The Rote Jahne solar power plant is located at a former military airport and encompasses a module area of about 6.7 hectares, roughly the size of eleven soccer fields. The installation consists of 92,880 thin-film modules from First Solar.
“We are pleased that Xantrex solar inverters were selected for this large, thin-film project, expanding our share of the European market,” said John Wallace, Xantrex CEO. “Juwi is an important new European customer, positioning us for strong growth. Large-scale, cost effective projects using thin-film technology will make a significant contribution toward making solar electricity more competitive with other means of power generation.”
According to Mr. Schappert, Managing Director of juwi solar, “Xantrex was chosen as a supplier because they have proven experience in the field and have developed a portfolio of high-quality solar inverters, offering technical solutions that meet the requirements for thin-film module technology. Thin-film modules are less expensive to produce than crystalline modules and are not affected by scarcities and dependency on polysilicon. We see an increasing trend in the use of thin-film technology in the PV industry.”
Juwi built the complete project as the general contractor and was provided with system components, including Xantrex GT500E inverters, by Xantrex partner Relatio Renewable Energies, to meet juwi’s requirement for a turnkey system. Commissioning of the system began in December 2006 and was completed in March 2007. The total investment was approximately 21 million Euros.
Xantrex solar inverters offer high quality, performance, reliability, value, ease of installation, and high power density; making them the preferred choice for an increasing number of projects in Europe. Designed for European PV installations and manufactured in Germany, the Xantrex GT500E Grid Tie Solar Inverter meets all applicable CE requirements.
For more information on the Xantrex GT500E Grid Tie Solar Inverter, please visit
http://www.xantrex.com/web/id/150/p/1/pt/23/product.asp