Last week, Bosch Solar AG announced the first onsite installation of its ground-mount solar panels in the U.S.
Spanning nearly 1,400 square meters of surface area at the Bosch Proving Ground in Michigan., the crystalline silicon and thin film solar panel based solar farm showcases technologies developed by both Bosch Solar Energy Group and Bosch Rexroth Drive and Control Technology
The system is expected to generate 63,400 kilowatt hours per year-nearly enough energy to power eight U.S. homes. While only a small system in comparison to some of the mega-solar farms being brought online, it signifies Bosch’s increasing profile in the solar energy market.
Bosch’s farm wasn’t so much about racking up panel points in terms of size – but it was rack related. The installation features a slide-in mounting system developed by Bosch Rexroth for frameless thin-film solar modules, which the company says halves the installation time required by conventional thin film solar panel mounting systems.
“The solar panel installation at Flat Rock is one of many ways that we are leveraging our U.S. resources to further the development of renewable energy technologies” said Peter Marks, who is chairman, president and CEO of Robert Bosch LLC
In partnership with Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, 3M and DuPont, Bosch also recently applied for and received $1.6 million in grants by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Advanced Research Projects Agency for a collaborative two-year project, which will focus on the development of a more durable and cheaper way to store renewable energy collected from sources such as solar panels for use in off-peak hours.
Bosch says the company currently invests 45 percent of its global research and development budget in technologies that help protect the environment and conserve resources as part of it’s commitment to corporate social responsibility.
In other Bosch Solar related news, last month the company announced CEO Holger von Hebel, was appointed to the executive board of the German Solar Industry Association (BSW-Solar). The association represents the interests of around 800 companies within the solar industry.
In August, Bosch Solar Energy AG formally opened its new crystalline solar cell production plant located in Arnstadt, Germany, which will boost Bosch’s production by an extra 10,000 cells an hour – around 90 million solar cells a year.
Our professional solar installers in Melbourne will assess and determine your energy needs. We customise solar panel system in Melbourne to fit the roof size of your property, ensuring you receive the most suitable solar panel system for your Melbourne home, meeting to property’s energy requirements.
