Masdar PV erects revenue-generating solar facility on roof of its production halls in Germany

ICHTERSHAUSEN, GERMANY: Masdar PV, a manufacturer of high-tech thin-film solar modules, has installed a 260 kW solar power plant on the roof of its own, modern, production hall in Ichtershausen, Germany.

The system was connected to the national grid in December 2009, thereby ensuring lucrative national grid feed-in payments for investors interested in this roof facility. For the design and construction phases, Masdar PV commissioned the services of system integrator Colexon Energy AG, with which the company is also cooperating with regard to other joint projects.

"We are proud that we have been selected as the system integrator for this first joint project commissioned by Masdar PV," comments Thorsten Preugschas, CEO of Colexon Energy AG.

A total of 2,900 modules, each with a 90 Watt capacity, were mounted parallel to the roof of the hall by the project partner, thus making optimal use of the roof area available. Masdar PV solar modules are ideally suited for such parallel installations, as they are less sensitive than crystalline modules to a non-optimal installation angle.

"Our solar modules can be mounted on almost any rooftop. Interest roof owners should therefore get in touch with us in order to jointly develop the perfect solution for their specific situation," comments Dr. Rainer Gegenwart, CEO of Masdar PV.

Masdar PV will also be using the roof installation as a test facility in the future. "We want to also make use of the installation in order to test the energy yield of our solar modules in conjunction with various inverters," explains Joachim Nell, COO/CMO of Masdar PV.

Use is therefore made of products from Xantrex Technology Inc. as well as from SMA Solar Technology AG. The Masdar PV solar power plant was installed in just 30 days and was connected to the national grid by December 31, 2009. "We anticipate that it will be possible to generate approximately 223,000 kWh per year and thereby avoid the emission of almost 200 tons of CO2," reports Dr. Rainer Gegenwart.

The construction and installation of the plant means that Masdar PV is guaranteed national grid feed-in payments of 0.4037 €/kWh for energy generated by the solar power plant during the next 20 years.

"As we are now able to offer a lucrative and long-term investment opportunity with attractive returns in the form of our solar facility, we are planning to sell the entire system to an investor," comments Joachim Nell. A major advantage for the investor is obvious: with the close ties and proximity to the module manufacturer, it is unlikely that better customer service can be found anywhere else.