Phoenix Solar USA: inauguration of Volkswagen Chattanooga Solar Park

Sulzemoos, Germany - Phoenix Solar AG reports that Phoenix Solar Inc., its US subsidiary, has installed and officially inaugurated a solar power plant with a peak output of 9.5 megawatts on the factory site of Volkswagen in Chattanooga, Tennessee, USA.

The customer commissioning the US subsidiary's largest project so far is the Silicon Ranch Corporation which signed a strategic alliance with Phoenix Solar in 2011. The aim of this alliance is to develop and realise photovoltaic plants in the Southeast of the USA. The solar power plant, built on the premises of Volkswagen, is the largest power plant in Tennessee and the automobile manufacturer's biggest worldwide. Phoenix Solar Inc. was responsible for planning, delivering the components and realising the solar park. The Phoenix Solar Group also offers operation and maintenance services and currently monitors solar power plants with a peak power of significantly more than 200 megawatts all over the world.

As the owner of the plant, Silicon Ranch has signed a 20-year contract with Volkswagen for the supply of photovoltaic electricity. Volkswagen uses the green electricity to power its production, with solar power contributing 12.5 percent of the energy required for full production and 100 percent in non-production periods. The expected yield of the approximately 33,600 crystalline solar modules manufactured by JA Solar is around 13.1 gigawatt hours of solar electricity a year.

Dr. Murray Cameron, Chief Operating Officer of Phoenix Solar AG and President and CEO of Phoenix Solar Inc. said that: "The US is set to develop into one of the world's largest markets for photovoltaics in the years ahead. Through its collaboration with Silicon Ranch, the Phoenix Solar team has created a sound basis for securing success in this market. We are proud to have had the opportunity of providing proof of our experience in the planning and construction of large-scale solar power plants for Volkswagen.

Source: IWR Online, 24 Jan 2013