AEG Wins Indian Solar Deals

AEG Power Solutions (AEG PS) signed with Surana Venture a contract to provide complete balance of electrical systems (inverters, monitoring and measurement equipment) for a 5 MW solar power plant in the Indian state of Gujarath. Since March, AEG PS has been awarded contracts from Indian solar farm developers to provide electrical solutions for a total of 25 MW PV power plants. These power plants are planned to be set up in different states of India, including in the prestigious solar park initiated by the state of Gujarath. One of the most advanced of India, Gujarath state has launched a program of long term power purchase with agreements with 80 solar power project investors to commission almost 1,000 MW of generation capacity by the end of 2013. During this year already 400 to 600 MW could be installed.

The contract just signed with Surana is part of Gujarath's ambitious project, as is the installation of 10 MW signed earlier with the NKG Infra. The four other equipment contracts signed by AEG Power Solutions, representing complete electrical balance for respectively 6,1 MW, 2 MW and two for 1 MW, are aimed to equip solar power plants in different states of India.

The new inverter Protect PV.500, launched in April at Hannover fair, will be used in the two largest projects.

"Our renowned technology has made a large part of our success. As important as this is our international standing and the complete product portfolio for the installation of solar power generation plants", explains Murthy Sridhar, AEG Power Solutions India Managing Director. All contracts will be installed in the last quarter of this year.

skytron energy, the monitoring and supervision system subsidiary of the Group, generated in the first quarter of 2011 an incoming order amounting 1 million Euros for a 45 MW PV Power Plant in Western India. skytron energy is supplying the whole monitoring solution including combiner boxes, data loggers and a sensor measurement technology as well as the supervision system PVGuard. "India is a strategically important market for the photovoltaic sector. We have always been aware of this and started intensifying our close cooperation with Indian companies as early as 2007", explains Martin Sauter, Managing Director of skytron energy.

The early position adopted by skytron on the Indian market has also helped AEG Power Solutions in quickly deploying its strategy on the sub-continent. "India has officially embraced solar energy as it faces up to rising carbon emissions caused by its reliance on coal for power generation, but the driver is also the search for energy independence as India has few resources of its own to meet its rapidly growing economy", explains Enrique de la Cruz, Vice President of AEG Power Solutions Solar business unit. "As the country announced a program to reach 20,000 megawatts generated by solar power by 2020 and was only equipped of 60 MW in 2009, the potential is huge."

To serve this market adequately, AEG Power Solutions unveiled plans at the end of last year to invest in a new facility in Bangalore which is currently under construction.