20-MWp CPV power plant in China using Soitec modules
Focusic New Energy Holding Co., Ltd and Soitec (Euronext) have announced that the second phase of the Hami concentrator photovoltaic (CPV) power plant project has started. It will be completed by the end of 2014, while the third and last phase of the project will be installed in 2015. With a final capacity of 20.5 MWp, the plant will be one of Asia's biggest CPV power plants. As previously announced in November 2013, the Hami project is already fully financed by a loan of 200 million yuan (approximately US$32.7 million) from the China Development Bank.
"We started our cooperation with Soitec in 2011," explained Ma Wenxing, managing director at Focusic. "We first built a 2.7-MWp pilot plant based on their CPV technology, which was inaugurated last July. This first phase has confirmed the high efficiency and power output of Soitec's CPV technology. We therefore decided to use Soitec's modules for the two remaining phases of our project. At the end of this year, 5.8 new megawatts will be erected in Hami. Finally, we will reach a 20.5-MWp total capacity in 2015, with 12 additional megawatts to be installed during the third and last phase of the project. We are very proud to install such a utility-scale CPV power plant in China."
Hami is located on the edge of the Gobi desert in the Xinjiang province, a region where Soitec's CPV technology can operate without cooling water, can withstand hot ambient temperatures and has minimal environmental impact. It is therefore perfectly suited for use in such environmentally sensitive desert areas.
"The first phase of this project has already demonstrated the excellent results of our products and we are very pleased Focusic decided to pursue their collaboration with us for the remaining parts of this CPV power plant. Modules ordered for the second phase have all been shipped and we have already started to produce the ones needed for the third phase," said Fabio Mondini de Focatiis, vice president of Middle East, Asia Pacific and LATAM of Soitec's Solar Energy Division. "Soitec CPV systems are already installed in more than 20 countries worldwide. Regarding this new major project, we strongly believe that the combination of Focusic's local expertise and our CPV technology can effectively address China's renewable-energy needs with a competitive energy solution."
