Nanosolar, EDF Energies Nouvelles Commission Projects Totaling 6 MWp

Nanosolar, Inc. announced its supply of Nanosolar Utility Panels to two separate installations totaling close to 6 MWp in partnership with EDF Energies Nouvelles (EDF EN) and its U.S. subsidiary enXco. These projects are the latest result of a long-standing collaboration between Nanosolar and EDF EN.

“These latest projects to be commissioned with Nanosolar panels are a significant validation of both our close relationship with EDF EN and the low-cost potential of our thin film printing technology, which we believe can fundamentally change the solar and energy industries,” said Geoff Tate, CEO of Nanosolar, Inc. “EDF Energies Nouvelles continues to be a strategic, collaborative partner to Nanosolar in the development, testing, and installation of our printing technology.”

Three MWp of Nanosolar Utility Panels were installed this past summer and commissioned in September as part of a larger EDF EN solar farm in Gabardan, France. ColSun, a joint venture of EDF Energies Nouvelles and Belectric, installed the project using SMA central inverters. This is the first utility-scale installation of Nanosolar Utility Panels by EDF EN.

A second approximately 3 MWp Nanosolar Utility Panel installation was constructed this summer and was commissioned in November 2011 near Amity, OR. Developed, designed and installed by enXco, the US subsidiary of EDF EN, at two separate sites using Advanced Energy inverters, the projects connect to the Portland General Electric distribution system.

“Nanosolar’s thin film printing process and the Nanosolar Utility Panel continue to show great promise for low-cost solar installations,” said Pierre-Guy Therond, head of new technologies at EDF EN. “We continue to support the development and progress of this disruptive technology from the lab through to delivery in the field.

Nanosolar’s innovative, roll-to-roll printing process and utility-scale panel design enables the Nanosolar Utility Panel to significantly reduce both manufacturing costs and balance of systems costs in multi-megawatt installations. In addition, it is the first solar panel to be certified to operate at up to 1500 system volts. These system design features allow for balance of systems cost savings of up to 30 percent over competing thin film solar panels in utility-scale power plants.

Nanosolar thin film solar cells are printed at the company’s headquarters and manufacturing facility in San Jose, CA.