SOITEC : U.S DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE SIGNS CONTRACT WITH SOITEC FOR 1 MW CPV SOLAR DEMONSTRATION PROJECT AT FORT IRWIN
U.S DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE SIGNS CONTRACT WITH SOITEC FORÂ 1 MW CPV SOLAR
DEMONSTRATION PROJECT AT FORT IRWIN
Bernin (Grenoble), France, September 18, 2013 - Soitec (Euronext), a world
leader in generating and manufacturing revolutionary semiconductor materials for
the electronics and energy industries, announced today that a contract has been
signed with the U.S. Department of Defense's Environmental Security Technology
Certification Program (ESTCP) for a 1 MW(AC) solar project at Fort Irwin,
California. According to the Department of Defense, 22 projects were
competitively selected from the 468 proposals submitted to demonstrate emerging
energy and water technologies on military installations through its Installation
Energy Test Bed initiative. This initiative tests and evaluates innovative
energy technologies that improve the Department's energy security and reduce its
facility costs while meeting its renewable energy goals.
This demonstration power plant will provide onsite distributed generation for
the Ft. Irwin military facility which is home to the National Training Center
and has a daily population of nearly 25,000. This concentrator photovoltaic
(CPV) solar power plant will offset the emission of almost 1,850 tons of carbon
dioxide each year. Project planning is underway and construction is scheduled
to be completed in 2014. Regarding this project, Fort Irwin's Director Public
Works, Muhammad Bari says "Fort Irwin Energy team is very excited and looking
forward to participate in this ESTCP demonstration project. This project will
not only prove an efficient CPV renewable energy technology but also pave a path
forward towards Energy surety and security at Fort Irwin."
"This project will allow the Department of Defense to showcase Soitec's CPV
technology, demonstrating future government applications consistent with the
goals of improving energy security and expanding the development of renewable
energy," said Clark Crawford, Soitec's Vice President of Sales and Business
Development USA. "Our technology is perfectly suited for desert locations as it
shows almost no degradation even under very harsh environmental conditions."
The energy will be produced using Soitec's Concentrix(TM) 5(th)-generation CPV
dual-axis tracking technology with 480 CPV solar modules manufactured in the
company's new North American manufacturing headquarters located in San Diego.
The Soitec CX-S530 is designed to improve the Levelized Cost of Electricity
(LCOE) for utility-scale solar power plants in the sunniest regions of the
world. With a module area of over 100 square-meters (1,130 square feet), one
Soitec CX-S530 system achieves a capacity of almost 30 kilowatts peak. The size
of the system is optimized to deliver high performance while drastically
reducing the cost of installation and maintenance. The CX-S530 system applies
12 of the extra large 5(th) generation of Soitec CPV modules. These modules are
more than twice as efficient as conventional photovoltaic modules. In one
module, the Fresnel lenses concentrate the sunlight onto 2,400 tiny multi-
junction solar cells.
With installations in 18 countries around the world, Soitec's CPV technology has
proven to be the most efficient and environmentally friendly solar power
generation. It demonstrates unique cost competitiveness compared to other solar
technologies, largely due to its higher production yields throughout the
sunlight hours, and lower construction and maintenance costs. In addition, CPV
technology's ability to operate without cooling water, withstand hot ambient
temperatures and with minimal environmental impact make it perfectly suited for
use in desert areas such as Ft. Irwin.
About Soitec: Soitec is an international manufacturing company, a world leader
in generating and manufacturing revolutionary semiconductor materials at the
frontier of the most exciting energy and electronic challenges. Soitec's
products include substrates for microelectronics (most notably SOI: Silicon-on-
Insulator) and concentrator photovoltaic systems (CPV). The company's core
technologies are Smart Cut(TM), Smart Stacking(TM) and Concentrix(TM), as well
as expertise in epitaxy. Applications include consumer and mobile electronics,
microelectronics-driven IT, telecommunications, automotive electronics, lighting
products and large-scale solar power plants. Soitec has manufacturing plants and
R&D centers in France, Singapore, Germany and the United States. For more
information, visit: www.soitec.com.
International Media Contacts  Investor Relations
(trade press) Olivier Brice
Camille Darnaud-Dufour +33 (0)4 76 92 93 80
+33Â (0)6Â 79Â 49Â 51Â 43
camille.darnaud-dufour@soitec.com olivier.brice@soitec.com
(business press)
Marylen Schmidt
+33 (0) 4 76 92 87 83
marylen.schmidt@soitec.com
# # #
DOD Fort Irwin Announcement Press Release pdf:
http://hugin.info/143589/R/1730061/578123.pdf
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Source: SOITEC via Thomson Reuters ONE
[HUG#1730061]