Apr 2 2008
EMCORE Corporation a leading provider of semiconductor-based components and subsystems for the broadband, fiber-optic, satellite and terrestrial solar power markets, announced today that it has been awarded a $4.6 million follow-on production order for solar cell receiver assemblies from Concentration Solar la Mancha of Manzanares (Ciudad Real), Spain. The receivers will be incorporated into CS la Mancha's 500X concentrator photovoltaic (CPV) system and will be deployed throughout Spain and other locations in fully licensed and funded projects. Shipments are scheduled to commence in the September quarter and complete in early 2009. CS la Mancha, part of Renovalia Energy, a renewable energy company in Spain, has been developing the CPV system for nearly two years, and has recently started production and volume deployment.
David Danzilio, Vice President and General Manager of EMCORE's Photovoltaics Division stated, "We are pleased to be awarded this follow-on production order from CS la Mancha. This order affirms EMCORE's position as the supplier of choice for high performance CPV components that enable our customers' systems to generate renewable energy at the lowest cost per kw-hr." David Danzilio added, "Our CPV receiver assembly continues to penetrate the market and we see increasing global demand for this product line. This order diversifies our customer base, a trend we expect will continue, as they transition their CPV systems from development to full-scale production. We are currently expanding our production capacity for both solar cells and receiver assemblies at our Albuquerque facility and expect our second receiver production line to be operational in the June quarter. EMCORE's continued technology and capacity investments will provide customers with an assured supply of this critical PV engine."
Dr. Jeffrey Nelson, Manager of Concentrated Solar Power Group of Sandia National Laboratories commented, "This demonstrates once again that CPV is being established as a cost-competitive and commercially-viable technology for solar power applications. EMCORE is a world leader of CPV technology and products. They are well positioned to capture the rapid growth of the CPV market as a viable alternative for grid-tied solar power utility applications."
EMCORE has introduced a line of integrated solar cell receiver assemblies optimized for operation from 500X to 1000X concentration that provide terrestrial systems integrators with a complete solution for the PV section of their system. EMCORE's unique CPV receiver assembly is easily integrated into existing concentrating PV systems and has emerged as an industry standard. By choosing EMCORE's complete, high reliability receiver solution, CPV system developers are able to focus their full efforts on advancing their optical design and optimizing the balance of the system, significantly reducing their time to market