On April 25,
Solar Frontier, headquartered in Tokyo,
announced that it had signed an agreement with Watsonville, Calif.-based
Granite Construction Incorporated to provide 1.2 megawatts(MW) of thin-film CIS technology at Granite’s aggregate and hot mix facility in Coalinga, Calif. The solar panels, which are now on-site awaiting installation, will produce 50 percent of the total energy requirement of the facility. The amount of solar energy provided for this mining facility is the most extensive of its kind to date in the United States.
Granite Construction—one of the nation's largest diversified heavy civil contractors and construction materials producers—espouses a strong “commitment to operating a responsible and environmentally- sensitive business.” For the second year in a row, in 2011, Granite has been named to the New York City-based Ethisphere Institute’s "World's Most Ethical Companies;" and in 2009, the company received Environmental Excellence Awards recognizing three of its facilities from the National Stone, Sand & Gravel Association (NSSGA); as well as Ecological Awards from the National Asphalt Pavement Association (NAPA) commending two of its plants.
Thus, when Solar Frontier competed for the contract at the Coalinga facility, “We were asked to present a business case where environmental concerns were a key driver and [we demonstrated] that, more than ever, the ecological solution is the economical solution,” said Gregory Ashley, vice president and COO of the thin-film PV company's pan-American operations.
Solar Frontier’s CIS technology does not employ silicon, and the material used— a solid solution of copper indium selenide— is only 1/200th of the thickness of crystalline silicon solar cells. According to Solar Frontier, since commercialization in 2007, its CIS panels have gained a reputation for cost-efficiency and dependability in a range of applications from large-scale ground-mount to commercial and residential rooftops.
Delivery of materials from Japan to Coalinga was not a problem, despite the recent earthquake and nuclear plant crises. Solar Frontier reports that it is” fortunate to have accounted for the safety of all employees and no loss of company assets.”
In fact, on April 20, Solar Frontier announced that it had started commercial production on schedule at its new gigawatt-scale Kunitomi factory— the world’s largest CIS thin-film solar module production plant, located in Miyazaki, Japan—on the eastern coast of the island of Kyushu. Launched only 16 months after breaking ground in September 2009, the new factory will approach full capacity this summer.
“The opening of our factory … signals great promise for Solar Frontier,” said Shigeya Kato, Chairman of Solar Frontier’s parent company, Showa Shell Sekiyu, at the opening ceremony, “and this confirms our next generation thin-film technology as globally competitive. I hope this can be one of the bright rays of hope as Japan recovers from the devastation of the Great East Japan Earthquake.”
Cheryl Kaften is an accomplished communicator who has written for consumer and corporate audiences. She has worked extensively for MasterCard (News - Alert) Worldwide, Philip Morris USA (Altria), and KPMG, and has consulted for Estee Lauder and the Philadelphia Inquirer Newspapers. To read more of her articles, please visit her columnist page.Edited by
Carrie Schmelkin
