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Date Announced: 29 Jun 2011
Top-tier German cell manufacturer brings CIGS modules averaging 13% efficiency to the US.
SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Q-Cells SE, one of the world’s leading photovoltaic companies, has introduced its Q.SMART modules, the world’s most efficient thin film modules, for the North American photovoltaic market. Q.SMART is a high-yield and high-efficiency thin film module, based on CIGS technology, designed to maximize power output and return-on-investment in distributed solar generation.
With aperture efficiencies of up to 14.7 percent, Q.SMART holds the world record for thin film modules in serial production since 2009. Q.SMART’s unique CIGS technology is the only thin film solar technology that does not initially degrade in the first years of operation. Q.SMART harnesses a “light-soaking” effect to generate an average of 2.5 percent power boost above Nominal Power at Standard Test Conditions when deployed the field. A Q.SMART solar module was the top performing thin film module in PHOTON Magazine’s recent Energy Yield Test (June 2011).
Q.SMART also outperforms competitors in diverse environmental conditions, including low-light periods of the day and high-heat climates. Ideal for commercial and residential settings, Q.SMART is positive sorted meaning customers always receive what they pay for, and more. Finally, Q.SMART modules are the highest yield panels in the world, with outstanding production efficiency rates.
An industry first, Q.SMART comes with an unrivaled Power Appreciation Warranty of 25 years – a 100 percent performance guaranty for the first three years, and linear degradation of not more than 0.7 percent per year thereafter, achieving still 85 percent of rated output power after 25 years. This warranty program reassures customers that their Q.SMART modules will continue at peak performance throughout their operational lifetimes.
Q.SMART modules also come with the Q-CELLS YIELD SECURITY seal of quality. This includes an Additional Power Boost (APB), an increase in output by up to 15 percent through positive sorting and the light soaking effect, a proven benefit of Q-CELLS thin-film technology; plus 360° efficiency (TDE – three-hundred-and-sixty degree efficiency) through flexible installation in diffused light conditions, in shade and at unfavorable angles.
“The release of our innovative Q.SMART technology in North America aligns with Q-Cells’ corporate vision to bring best-of-world solar technology and partnerships to local markets,” said Marc van Gerven, Managing Director of Q-Cells North America. “We are executing against our strategic roadmap. Since entering North America one year ago, Q-Cells introduced first its utility-scale solar business, then rolled out its PV systems business, and began module sales with the availability of Q.SMART.”
The technology behind Q.SMART was developed in 1983 by the Ångström Solar Center at Uppsala University, Sweden, commercialized by the spin-off company Solibro in 2006, and acquired by Q-Cells in 2009. In March 2011, Q-Cells announced it had achieved the milestone of 14.7 percent production efficiency on the aperture area, which is the latest world record for monolithically integrated CIGS thin film modules. Q.SMART is produced in Thalheim, Germany, at the company’s own factory. At the end of 2010, total production capacity of Q.SMART modules had reached 135 MWp.
Outside of North America, Q-Cells has already deployed Q.SMART modules in both commercial and residential installations. Q.SMART projects in 2010 include a 3.4 MWp commercial rooftop Tontarelli, Italy, a 610 kWp commercial rooftop at Venice Airport, Italy, and an 880 kWp carport at Frankfurt Trade Fair, Germany.
Most recently in 2011, iGen Energy of Manchester, U.K., completed work on the first phase of a pioneering 96 kWp solar photovoltaic installation with Q.SMART modules in Buxton, Derbyshire, for a leading professional cleaning solutions manufacturer, Selden Research. The commercial roof-top project is the first in the United Kingdom to utilize Q.SMART modules. When it is completed, the new system covering 1,500 m² will be one of the largest in England.
“A technology 29 years in development, Q.SMART is another example of Q-Cells’ commitment to solar energy innovation,” continued van Gerven. “We provide best-of-world technology to maximize return on investment in solar energy. Our mission is to bring value to customers, investors and partners alike.”
Source: Q-Cells
E-mail: via web site
Web Site: www.q-cells.com
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