SCHOTT Solar to supply 67,000 solar modules to Thailand
SCHOTT Solar AG announced that it received a large order from Thailand. The company will be delivering 67,000 photovoltaic modules for two solar power plants that Phoenix Solar Singapore has been building just north of Bangkok since June. The two sites will achieve peak output of 9.7 and 6.2 megawatts. From December 2011 on, they are expected to supply an annual yield of around 25,000 MWh of solar electricity to as many as 10,000 Thai households.
This subsidiary of the German company Phoenix Solar AG is responsible for planning the installations, including the delivery of modules and inverters. The investor, Solarta Co Ltd., is a joint venture between Yanhee Solar Power Co Ltd and the independent power supplier Ratchaburi Electricity Generating Holding PLC, was interested in finding a mixture of German engineering skills and technological expertise and local knowledge in the area of construction management. SCHOTT said a decisive factor in the deal was the company’s linear performance guarantee of 25 years that the company offers on its modules.
The two installations are expected to go into operation by the end of the year. SCHOTT Solar will be supplying polycrystalline modules from the SCHOTT PERFORM POLY 2xx series to Thailand between June and September for use in this project.
“We have signed contracts to supply modules with a capacity in excess of 50 MW peak for large international projects over the last few months,” said Dr. Martin Heming, CEO of SCHOTT Solar AG, and added: “Our local presence in the international markets and previous experience in managing large projects were both crucial factors in convincing our partner to choose us.” He expects solar power plants to play an important role in the future, particularly in the new Asian markets and the United States.
SCHOTT credits, in part, the Renewable Energy Sources Act (EEG) for Thailand’s interest in solar. 21 member states in the European Union have already followed Germany’s example and introduced similar funding mechanisms. Globally speaking, more than 50 countries, including Thailand, already rely on these types of programs. This funding system is also helping to finance this major project and thus contributing to its success. Approximately 25 euro cents are paid for each kilowatt hour fed into the grid during the first ten years. Afterwards, the respective price that applies for electricity is paid.
