Solyndra and Germany-Based Roofing System Supplier Enter Framework Agreement

Solyndra, Inc., a manufacturer of innovative cylindrical photovoltaic (PV) systems for commercial rooftops, announced it has signed a new long term framework agreement with alwitra GmbH & Co., a leading supplier of well-engineered roofing systems, based in Trier, Germany. The solar panels for this agreement will be manufactured at Solyndra’s facilities in Fremont and Milpitas, CA.

"We are excited to announce this agreement with alwitra, one of the world’s leading manufacturers of innovative roofing systems. With alwitra’s global presence and their award-winning line of highly reflective Evalon roofing membranes, this agreement builds on the benefits of Solyndra PV installations on reflective commercial rooftops and will expand our footprint in the important roofing channel,” says Chris Gronet, Solyndra CEO and founder.

Solyndra's cylindrical, thin film PV systems are designed to generate more electricity on an annual basis from typical low-slope commercial rooftops, while providing much lower installation costs than conventional flat panel PV technologies. When installed together with a reflective roofing membrane, electricity produced by Solyndra’s PV systems is optimized and total installation cost is reduced.

With an emphasis on superior performance, reliability and unmatched aesthetics, alwitra has sealed a roof area of more than 140 million square meters worldwide with our well-proven roofing systems. Almost four decades ago alwitra pioneered the production of light-reflecting EVA roofing membranes in the sense of the current “cool roof” concept. “Our customers always demand the best, and therefore the optimal solution is the combination of Solyndra’s innovative PV system with our tried-and-tested, highly reflective white EVALON® roofing membrane. The Solyndra system is the best we’ve found in terms of non-penetrating wind performance, energy production per roof, rooftop loading, and installation cost and builds on our 10 years of success in solar with our building-integrated EVALON® Solar system,” states Stefan Rehlinger, Managing Director of alwitra. "We look forward to working with Solyndra to capitalize on the vast opportunity presented by this synergistic relationship,” added Joachim Gussner, alwitra’s President.