Solyndra to Construct 16 MW Roof Top PV Systems for SCE

Solyndra, the first green energy company to receive a prop up loan of $535 million from the Department of Energy for the construction of a factory producing novel cylindrical CIGS solar modules, has started its production from its facility at Bay Area’s Fremont during the fall.

Solyndra received a package of 20 year purchase agreement from South California Edison (SCE) through its subsidiary company Photon solar to construct 16 MW of roof top photovoltaic systems spanning roof tops of 15 industrial or commercial buildings located in Southern California. The largest among the installations is a 3 MW array construction over the roof top of an industrial building in Buena Park. Among the total of 16 MW roof top constructions at 15 locations, seven locations have one megawatt or more. Solyndra has already completed the installation of a 704 KW system for a building in New Jersey and is planning to increase its manufacturing output to threefold on completion of its first 250 MW capacity. It is expected that Solyndra will complete all the 15 mini projects now handled by its subsidiary Photo Solar in another six months before the end of January 2011.

The three major Utilities located in California are meeting their renewable energy standards by constructing and utilizing roof top solar energy power. The utility companies consider roof top installations viable and easy enough to install and commission. Currently, they are reluctant to go in for multimillion large scale desert solar projects that take years to implement and still suffer vague permission rules.