Press release
World’s largest-area solar electricity unit with solar modules made of copper-indium-diselenide and inverters from Sputnik Engineering installed in Spain
CIS technology exploits its advantages particularly well in high ambient temperatures. Compared with standard solar modules made of crystalline silicon, CIS modules have a better temperature coefficient, that is the module output falls off less steeply at higher operating temperatures. And high temperatures do not affect Sputnik Engineering AG’s inverters either. Thanks to an intelligent cooling concept, these devices continue to feed their full nominal output to the public grid even with ambient temperatures of up to 45 degrees centigrade.
Francisco Belmonte, the Managing Director of the local engineering company of Fotovoltaica del Peral S.L., which operates the system, estimates an annual yield of 1,607 kilowatt hours per installed kilowatt thanks to the high-quality components, which is a great deal even for sun-drenched Spain. The first long-term trial has already produced a performance ratio of 82 percent. “I was particularly impressed by the inverters because of their excellent value for money,” declares Belmonte.
With falling tariffs for supplying the grid, this unique feature is becoming increasingly important. At the end of September the Spanish government will be passing a new law on supplying the grid with solar electricity. It anticipates drastic cuts.
“We are convinced that solar electricity units with our inverters will continue to pay their way even with reduced tariffs for supplying the grid,” declares Sputnik’s Managing Director Christoph von Bergen. SolarMax inverters from Sputnik Engineering have been installed in Spain since 2004. In 2006 Sputnik set up its Spanish subsidiary Sputnik Engineering Ibérica S.r.l. in Madrid. This year alone Sputnik will sell inverters with a total output of 115 megawatts to Spain. Würth Solergy, the systems supplier from Schwäbisch Hall, has been selling SolarMax string and centralised inverters as OEM products under the name of solarSTAR since last year in the megawatt range and not just in Spain.
About Sputnik Engineering AG
Sputnik Engineering currently employs about 200 staff at the firm’s Swiss headquarters and in its subsidiaries in Neuhausen (Germany), Madrid (Spain), Milan (Italy) and Paris (France). In 2008 Sputnik will produce inverters with a total output of 275 megawatts.
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Sputnik Engineering AG
Höheweg 85
CH-2502 Biel /
Phone +41 (0) 32 346 5600
Fax +41 (0) 32 346 5609
sputnik@solarmax.com
www.solarmax.com
Sputnik Engineering AG was founded in 1991 by Christoph von Bergen and Philipp Müller and since then it has concentrated exclusively on the development, sale and maintenance of inverters for photovoltaic units connected to the grid. With the SolarMax series the company, with its headquarters in Biel (Switzerland) offers an extensive product range of string inverters for detached houses and centralised inverters for solar power stations. Thanks to many years of experience and constant improvement, these devices stand out with the latest technology, high quality, reliability, maximum yields and very good value for money.