At the Solar Power International 2011 convention in Dallas Texas, Samba Energy announced that they've chosen BYD solar panels and inverters for use immediately in 1.2 Mega-Watts (MW) of solar installations in the North East and Pacific regions. This initial partnership includes equipment for a few select schools and commercial buildings and will be expanded to 10 MW by Q1 of 2012.
"Samba Energy is proud to be working with BYD on this first phase of projects in the United States," said Michael Hidary, Managing Director of Samba Energy. "The strength and stability of BYD solar products will ensure clean reliable energy for our clients for decades to come."
BYD also took the opportunity to announce that they have introduced "Narrow bus bar, Electroplate, Selective-Emitter" or "NES" technology into their standard solar-cell production processes which effectively reduces the resistance and the shaded area on the front side of solar cells. BYD's NES technology can improve quantum efficiencies and short wave responses of BYD solar products increasing the effective solar cell average efficiency to over 17.4% in standard production. NES technologies are considered cutting-edge in the solar power industry, however, only a few companies have realized these break-through advances in mass production. BYD's China facilities are fully automated and they have set up solar cell and solar panel production lines separately in Shanghai and Shangluo, PRC. At present, BYD has over 1GW capacity for wafer and solar cells.
"BYD is excited to have secured this contract with Samba Energy and plans to continue to design innovative break-through products which provide better, more cost effective solutions for our renewable energy future," said Stella Li, President of BYD America. "We also plan to build a US assembly plant which will create more green jobs right here in the US eventually."