13 May 2015

Solar Frontier and NEW to develop 100MW of CIS PV plants in UK

Tokyo-based Solar Frontier - the largest manufacturer of CIS (copper indium selenium) thin-film photovoltaic (PV) solar modules – says that its subsidiary Solar Frontier Europe GmbH of Munich, Germany has entered into a definitive agreement with system integrator New Energy for the World GmbH (NEW) of Regensburg, Germany to develop, build, commission and sell up to 100MW of turnkey CIS solar power plants in the UK. NEW is an engineering, procurement & construction (EPC) firm specializing in developing renewable energy projects. The agreement marks the continued global expansion of Solar Frontier's partnership approach in the large-project segment. 

"Solar Frontier is going global as part of our long-term growth strategy and the UK is a key market for us," says CEO Atsuhiko Hirano. "We already have a strong standing in the residential, commercial and utility segments in Europe, and are now proud to introduce new and broader market solutions also in the UK," he adds. 

Construction of the first project of the 100MW pipeline is slated to begin in third-quarter 2015. Land and grid connection have already been secured, and first talks are now underway with investors regarding the sale of the first designated solar power plants. Projects will be closely based on the implementation approach of a previous 7.15MW project by Solar Frontier and NEW in Banwell.

"Solar Frontier and New Energy for the World have worked closely together on similar projects," says Solar Frontier Europe's managing director Wolfgang Lange. "The Banwell project, which commenced operations in 2015, serves as a front-runner for future projects – it demonstrates the performance advantages of CIS especially in UK weather conditions, the benefit of optimizing system components to leverage the advantages of CIS, and the importance of an experienced development team," he adds. 

"Our past projects with Solar Frontier attest to the quality and performance of CIS solar power plants in the UK," comments NEW shareholder and general manager Jochen Kleimaier (who founded the firm in 2011).

For the 7.15MW CIS solar power plant in Banwell, Solar Frontier provided its CIS modules and optimized system components. Habdank was partner as general contractor for substructure and mounting and NEW provided EPC services.

See related items:

Solar Frontier to co-develop 8.1MWp UK solar plant

Tags: Solar Frontier CIS thin-film PV modules

Visit: www.solar-frontier.com

Visit: www.ne4tw.de