Dec 18 2009
Kyocera Corporation (President: Tetsuo Kuba)(NYSE:KYO)(TOKYO:6971) today announced that it has supplied roughly 190,000 solar modules, equivalent to approximately 40 megawatts (MW), for two newly completed large-scale solar power plants in Spain.
Kyocera supplies its high-efficiency multicrystalline solar modules to Avanzalia — a renewable energy company and one of the leaders in promoting, constructing and capitalizing on large-scale solar power plants in Spain. Recently, Avanzalia has inaugurated two new solar power plants in the Castile-La Mancha region of central Spain: Dulcinea in Cuenca, and Don Quijote in Ciudad Real. Kyocera modules, equal to 39.3MW, have been installed and are currently operating, providing clean energy from the power of the sun.
Kyocera was selected for these projects due to the high conversion efficiency of its multicrystalline cells, the long-term reliability of its modules, and the company's ability to provide a stable supply in large quantities. The power generated from these two solar plants combined provides enough electricity for approximately 17,700 average households in Spain, with the solar modules covering a total area of 338,581m².
Planta Solar de Dulcinea
Total output: 31.8MW*
Installation area: approx. 230,324m²
Equivalent residential power use: 11,938 homes
CO2 reduction: 15,018 tons/year
*Kyocera modules: 28.8MW
Quantity & type of modules: 140,426 total (71,654 200W type; 11,088 205W type; 57,684 210W type)
Planta Solar de Don Quijote
Total output: 15.5MW*
Installation area: approx. 108,257m²
Equivalent residential power use: 5,741 homes
CO2 reduction: 7,222 tons/year
*Kyocera modules: 10.5MW
Quantity & type of modules: 50,004 total (54 200W type; 49,950 210W type)
By taking advantage of the feed-in-tariff system provided by the Spanish government, Avanzalia, in-line with government policies, is aiming to create an ideal environment for solar power use. Kyocera, which started its solar energy business in the wake of the first oil crisis in 1973, has been developing and advancing solar energy technology since 1975; with the strong belief that solar energy will contribute to the development of humankind and society. With a similar business rationale, Avanzalia began installing Kyocera's modules in 2005.
On November 18, 2009 a commemorative ceremony was held to mark the installation and start of operation of the Dulcinea plant and Don Quijote plant. Kyocera and Avanzalia were both in attendance, pledging that though solar power they would strive to build a green energy society.
Meeting the Needs of the Market
In order to build the infrastructure to support targets of producing 650MW/year of solar cells by March 2012, Kyocera is planning to start operation of a newly constructed solar cell production plant in Japan in spring of 2010. Furthermore, to meet the needs of the 4 main markets (Japan, Europe, North America and China), Kyocera will continue to expand production capability at its 4 regional solar module assembly plants located in Japan, Czech Republic, Mexico and China. Even with this large global production system, Kyocera maintains reliable manufacturing technology and strict internal inspections to ensure high-quality products.