Feb 11 2010
Solar Power, Inc. (“SPI”) (OTCBB:SOPW) announced today that it has signed a sales representation agreement with Annerher S.L. of Barcelona, Spain to establish Yes! Solar Power™ dealers in Spain and Portugal. Under the terms of the agreement, Annerher will represent the Yes! Solar Power™ dealer program and sales of the Company’s Yes! Energy Series™ residential photovoltaic (PV) solar products and integrated solutions, as well as SPI’s commercial solar solutions. Annerher S.L. will solicit dealerships throughout Spain and Portugal for the purpose of distributing SPI’s PV solar product lines.
Annerher S.L. has been a distributor of renewable energy solutions since 2004 and has more than 73 megawatts of PV solar installed across its market territories. Annerher S.L. will begin selling SPI’s products through its existing distribution network while establishing new dealers under the Company’s Yes! Solar Power™ dealer program in Spain and Portugal. The agreement advances Solar Power, Inc.’s European penetration into key solar markets. Historically, Spain has been a model market for the solar industry and this region of Europe. The Country continues to play an important role as the residential and small commercial market segments’ adoption of solar energy solutions advances. Due to the Country’s feed-in tariffs, Spain added more than three (3) gigawatts of new solar power in 2008 which was more than all of the new installations achieved globally in 2007. The Country’s generous feed-in tariff program requires utilities to pay rates set by the Government under long-term contracts for solar-generated electricity. The rates for solar-generated electricity set by the Government are higher than those for conventional power, making the installation and operation of solar energy systems an attractive business opportunity for local project developers and, in turn, for SPI which will provide its high-performance solar panels, balance of system components and turnkey system solutions. Similarly, in Portugal, renewable energy generators are paid for every kilowatt of power they supply back to the grid. In addition, this region is one of Europe’s sunniest areas with one of the highest yields of net annual hours of production for PV solar generation.
“Solar Power, Inc.’s agreement with Annerher S.L. represents exciting opportunities for both parties,” said Bradley Ferrell, President of Business Development for Solar Power, Inc. “Annerher S.L. has a robust and growing distribution network for our products. More importantly, the feed-in tariffs for the Spanish and Portuguese markets offer significant growth opportunities in the residential and small commercial market segments for both Companies. Our products and unique turnkey solutions are an excellent fit for their current dealers, and will allow them to ramp sales to new dealer prospects throughout their market areas.”
“Our Company’s core mission is to provide high-quality, low-cost, innovative products and turnkey solar solutions to our growing network of dealers/installers,” said Miguel Angel Rodriguez, General Director with Annerher S.L. “Solar Power, Inc. fits perfectly into our business model with high-quality, innovative solar products and turnkey solutions. We look forward to a long and successful relationship by leveraging the strengths both our Companies offer,” Mr. Rodriguez concluded.