SunPower Corp. and E.ON Climate and Renewables Italia Solar Srl announced a contract for SunPower to design and build a 3.4-megawatt ground-mounted solar power plant in Italy's Lazio region. Construction on the plant will start this year and is expected to be completed in April 2011.
"Our objective is to provide a secure, affordable and climate-friendly energy supply through investment in new technologies and renewable sources," said Christophe Jurczak, director of PV at E.ON. "We're pleased to partner with SunPower on this important plant, as we expand our operations to serve Italy's rapidly growing solar market."
At the site, SunPower will mount high efficiency SunPower E19 solar panels on the SunPower® T0 Tracker system. The Tracker follows the sun during the day and delivers up to 25 percent more energy than conventional fixed-tilt solar power systems, while significantly reducing land use requirements. Environmental and visual impacts of the system will be minimized by the Trackers' concrete-free pier foundations, and a maximum system height of two meters.
"E.ON, a recognized global leader in the development of renewable energy, understands that SunPower technology maximizes return on investment by delivering the most energy per hectare," said Yoram Amiga, president of utility and power plants international at SunPower. "In partnership with E.ON, we look forward to delivering SunPower's superior quality, reliability and performance as we serve the local community with clean, renewable power."
In 2009, SunPower installed a 1.3-megawatt rooftop solar power system at an E.ON power station in Sardinia, Italy.
Worldwide, SunPower has more than 650 megawatts of large-scale solar power systems installed or under contract, including more than 225 megawatts of operational power plants in Europe. SunPower is currently constructing Italy's largest solar power plant, the 72-megawatt Montalto di Castro solar power park, located in the Lazio region of Italy near Rome.
Note:
The capacity of power plants in this release is described in approximate megawatts on an alternating current (AC) basis unless otherwise noted. On a direct current (DC) basis, the E.ON ground mounted solar power plant is approximately 4 megawatts in capacity, and the Montalto di Castro solar park totals approximately 85 megawatts in capacity.