GE Expands Solar Portfolio

GE announced several additions to its growing portfolio of technologically advanced solar products and services. New solar thin film panel, system and inverter products will enhance GE’s ability to provide a complete range of offerings for use in multi-megawatt (MW) projects globally.

As one of the leading providers of renewable energy products and services, GE is committed to offering best-in-class technology at the lowest cost of electricity. Since 2002, GE has established itself as a global leader in the wind industry, installing more than 21 gigawatts of wind turbines around the world.

“The dramatic transformation and growth that has occurred in the wind industry has taught us a lot about what it takes to succeed in the renewable energy sector,” said Victor Abate, vice president of renewable energy for GE Power & Water. “Our strategy in wind and solar is to deliver best-in-class technology that drives performance and reliability improvements in order to offer our customers the best total value.”

GE has spent the last several years working to develop its solar portfolio. The company took a look at the biggest barrier for adoption of solar technology – cost – and built its portfolio around the goal of offering the lowest cost of electricity in the industry. GE’s robust solutions for every part of the solar system are backed by GE’s technical depth and are supported by GE’s global service network. GE’s solar product portfolio includes:

• Thin Film Solutions: GE is announcing two commercially available thin film products. Working together with PrimeStar Solar, Inc., GE has made significant advancements in the commercial development of a cadmium telluride (CdTe) thin film product. Panels from PrimeStar’s 30-MW manufacturing line in Arvada, CO, will be commercially available in 2011 and plans are underway to ramp up capacity.

GE also announced that it has entered into a technical and commercial agreement with Solar Frontier, a subsidiary of leading Japanese energy business Showa Shell Sekiyu, K.K., whose 900 MW factory will come online in early 2011. Available now, GE is offering the thin film panels individually and as a part of GE’s optimized system. In addition, GE is providing its power plant expertise to enhance Solar Frontier’s CIGS technology for use in utility scale solar installations.

• Brilliance Solar Inverters: Based on the proven power conversion unit employed in GE’s 14,000 1.5-MW wind turbines world-wide, GE’s 700 kilowatt (kW) and 1-MW solar inverters offer unparalleled reliability and proven performance. The Brilliance inverter comes enabled with SunIQ, GE’s monitoring and controls platform of grid-friendly features that allow a large-scale solar system to operate similar to a conventional power plant.

• Utility Scale Solar Plants: GE’s system solution focuses on delivering the lowest cost of energy and includes the Brilliance solar inverter technology, components matched for optimized installation and grid integration and GE’s thin film technology. GE’s standard design is easily scalable and is available in both 700 kW and 1-MW power blocks.

“With these competitive solar solutions, GE is establishing itself as the global leader in the renewable energy space,” said Abate. “In addition to offering leading technology, GE can also offer the unique bankability that comes with one of the world’s leading brands.”

With more than $1 billion already invested, GE continues to grow its portfolio of renewable energy products and services. The company has brought together world class expertise from across its four Global Research centers to drive the next generation of solar products. This effort already has produced significant advancements in the thin film space.

“We believe that thin film offers the best characteristics for continued advancements in efficiencies and materials,” said Danielle Merfeld, GE’s solar research and development leader. “We recently celebrated a milestone when our CdTe cell efficiencies topped 15 percent on commercial glass. With continued advancement, we know we can further reduce total installed system costs, making solar more accessible to consumers worldwide.”