United Solar Sold More than 4MW of UNI-SOLAR Laminates for Innovative Building Integrated Rooftop Installation in Italy

United Solar, the global manufacturer of UNI-SOLAR lightweight, flexible solar products and a wholly owned subsidiary of Energy Conversion Devices, Inc. (ECD), announced that it has sold 4.33 megawatts (MW) of UNI-SOLAR brand photovoltaic (PV) laminates for the solar installation located on the pavilions of The Fiera di Rimini Trade Fair.

The Fiera di Rimini Trade Fair is located in the center of Italy and consists of 16 main pavilions, which are currently covered with an aluminum corrugate roofing solution covering close to 100,000 square meters of exhibition area. In order to achieve the highest solar incentive, the existing roof needs to be replaced. UNI-SOLAR laminates will now be factory bonded onto the Riverclack Elios aluminum standing seam metal pans provided by United Solar’s Business Alliance Partner, ISCOM.

This 4.33 MW solar project is owned and developed by Green Utility and consists of more than 34,000 UNI-SOLAR brand photovoltaic modules. ACEA Group, an Italian public utility company, will provide the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) services for the project. The installation is expected to begin producing power in the first half of 2012. Once operational, the system will be capable of producing more than 5 million kilowatt hours (kWh) and is expected to provide a carbon offset of 3,500 tons per year. This is equivalent to supplying more than 1,500 households with electricity each year.

“This PV system, which we are building right now on the roofs of the Rimini Trade Fair, combines the best in class PV technology with architectural design, setting an important example for the whole solar industry in Italy,” Silvio Gentile, CEO of Green Utility, stated. “After our positive experience on the Trade Fair of Rome, we decided once more to utilize UNI-SOLAR’s unique technology.”

UNI-SOLAR laminates were chosen for this installation as they abide by the innovative BIPV regulations defined by GSE, the Italian grid regulator. Their lightweight, flexible features fit the characteristics of The Fiera di Rimini Trade Fair pavilions and provide a true building integrated solution. In addition, the thin-film triple-junction technology of UNI-SOLAR laminates allows for achieving superior energy yield despite the east and west orientation and curvature of the roof.