Dec 5 2005
United Solar Ovonic LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Energy Conversion Devices, Inc., announced today that it has signed an agreement with Actus Lend Lease to supply 7MW of photovoltaic (PV) products.
The solar network will pump clean energy into the Army's power grid and is designed to reduce dependence on fossil fuels by 30 percent for the entire complex of 7,894 new and renovated homes that Actus Lend Lease plans for Army families on Oahu. The captured energy also will help power 11 community centers and maintenance offices that will be built among the new and renovated homes. Actus Lend Lease, with more than 30,000 residential units in its portfolio, is the nation's leader in creating superior public/private community developments. With a focus on creating sustainable value through innovative solutions, Actus Lend Lease communities are unrivaled in their attention to design, technology, and environmental sensitivity. United Solar Ovonic offers a complete line of solar products that are lightweight, glass-free, flexible, durable, shadow tolerant, have excellent high-temperature performance and are easily installed.
United Solar Ovonic's UNI-SOLAR(R) products have received worldwide recognition and, during the last year, have witnessed 100 percent sales growth.
"As of today, no other solar-powered residential community comes close to the size and scope of Army Hawaii," said Chris Sherwood, Senior Vice President of Development for Actus Lend Lease. "We selected United Solar Ovonic because of their superior product and ability to service a project of this scale."
"Our collaboration with Actus fits with our overall strategy to develop long-term agreements with partners who are leaders in the housing/roofing market," said Qudrat Delawari, United Solar Ovonic's Vice President of Sales.
"We are delighted that Actus has selected our products as the preferred choice for its designs."
In addition to its existing 25MW photovoltaic manufacturing plant, United Solar Ovonic broke ground in July 2005 for its second state-of-the-art solar module manufacturing plant in Auburn Hills, Mich., to double its solar cell/module manufacturing capacity. Occupancy of the new facility is scheduled for May 2006, and it is anticipated that the plant will begin manufacturing products in the fall of 2006 following optimization of the manufacturing equipment. Compared to conventional solar technology utilizing single crystal or polycrystal silicon, United Solar Ovonic's thin-film solar cells are 100 times thinner, do not use crystalline silicon material and, therefore, are unaffected by the worldwide scarcity of silicon.
The products, unlike conventional glass-based PV products, are lightweight, flexible and rugged and can be aesthetically integrated into buildings.