The Company Plans to Complete These Plants by The End of 2012

The engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) subsidiary of SolarWorld AG (Bonn, Germany) has begun construction on a series of solar photovoltaic (PV) projects totaling 25 MW in California's Mojave Desert. The company plans to complete these plants by the end of 2012. Additionally, SolarWorld is debuting its new 270 watt, 60-cell Sunmodule PV module during the Solar Power International trade show in Orlando, Florida, U. S., September 10th-13th, 2012. "Desert Star is the latest in a line of utility-scale projects dating to the early 1980s that demonstrates the deep experience and wide-ranging capabilities of SolarWorld’s EPC division, " said SolarWorld Americas President Kevin Kilkelly. "The projects spotlight the best of American solar ingenuity, combining our U. S. -manufactured solar panels and single-axis tracker with some of the country’s brightest solar engineering and construction talent. " Desert Star to feature more than 100, 000 PV modules SolarWorld Americas owns the land upon which the Desert Star will be built, and will manage multiple phases of project execution, including design and engineering. The plants will be located on two parcels of land totaling 66.4 hectares between the communities of Twentynine Palms and Joshua Tree. The plants will feature over 100, 000 SolarWorld PV modules, and will supply electricity to Southern California Edison (Rosemead, California, U. S. ). SolarWorld began acquiring and designing the Desert Star projects in Spring 2011, and began grading and site preparation in June 2011. The company expects to employ 150 local workers in construction as well as permanent operations and maintenance positions. SolarWorld notes that it is one of the first manufacturers to feature a 60-cell PV module with a 270 watt rating, and will also display a 265 watt module at SPI. The company notes that these modules represent advances in materials, processes and design. These include improved technology at the front of the cell for greater conversion of light, modifying the back of the cell to increase conductivity and improved anti-reflective glass coatings. The modules will also feature a versatile frame to accommodate both top-down and bottom-up mounting, eight possible grounding locations and extended cable lengths. Source: GlassInChina