Sunpower has announced the inauguration of AUO SunPower Sdn . Bhd., the company’s joint venture solar cell fabrication facility in Malaysia with AU Optronics Corp.
When ramp up of the facility is complete in 2013, it is expected to generate more than 1,400 megawatts of solar cells annually. The plant is approximately the size of seven U.S. football fields and will incorporate 28 solar cell production lines. The plant has already produced approximately 5 megawatts of Gen 2 solar cells with up to 22.5 percent conversion efficiency since last year.
The facility was engineered with energy efficient features including a Sunpower solar panel covered parking lot that will generate up to 2.6 megawatts of electricity annually, rooftop solar energy systems on all site facilities that will produce over 10 megawatts of annual power generation, rain water harvesting and more efficient heating and cooling systems. Sunpower says all of the hot water required at the plant will be generate by heat recovery air compressors.
In other Sunpower news, the company also announced today the completion of the entire 72-MW Montalto di Castro solar farm in Italy, which the company says is one of the world’s largest solar farms in terms of energy generation. The SunPower solar panel based facility will generate approximately 140 gigawatt hours of electricity per year.
The 20-MW first phase of the Montalto di Castro solar farm was connected to the grid in November of 2009, followed by an 8-MW second phase earlier this year. The third and fourth phases, totalling 44 MW, were completed earlier this month. SunPower will provide ongoing operations and maintenance services for the power station.
