Solar Frontier pleased with MENA progress
Solar Frontier recently marked six months of operations of its CIS solar panels at the Saudi Aramco Al-Midra Tower facility in Dharan, Saudi Arabia, where 8,498 MWh of solar-generated electricity was produced over the period. The city of Dhahran in Saudi Arabia was the site of the nation's first commercial oil field, which began producing oil in 1938. More recently, a Saudi Aramco parking lot in Dhahran covered by 10.5 MW of Solar Frontier's CIS thin-film solar panels is helping to facilitate the application of renewable energy technologies in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
During peak periods, the city can average higher than 7 kwh/m2 of insolation per day. This makes it one of the sunniest places on Earth. However, the intense heat and sand of the region requires the system, including the solar modules, to have the highest quality and durability. Solar Frontier's combined achievements in these areas at Saudi Aramco's Al-Midra Tower facility have resulted in significant energy production to date.
"This result is a milestone that adjusts upward our performance expectation for Solar Frontier CIS panels in Saudi Arabia," said Atsuhiko Hirano, Senior Vice President, Solar Frontier. "Our production was optimal for Saudi Aramco's commitment to a 10.5 MW installation, which is currently the largest in Saudi Arabia. Our panels have performed well, making the overall economics of deployment in Saudi Arabia even more attractive."
The panels cover the complex's 4,450 parking spaces, an area of 16-18 hectares, and have a capacity of 10.5 MW, providing all of the building's daytime power needs and more.
