Jul 26 2010
Suniva, Inc., a U.S. manufacturer of high-efficiency monocrystalline silicon solar cells and modules, announced that its ARTisun® series solar cells are being used to power innovative designs and award-winning projects around the world.
The Company’s solar cells recently played an integral part in Virginia Polytechnic State University’s LumenHAUS project, the grand prize winner of the first ever European Solar Decathlon. Suniva solar cells have also been used in world- renowned projects such as The Plastiki Expedition, a catamaran made of recyclables that sailed across the Pacific Ocean in an effort to raise awareness on environmental issues, and the 2010 Shell Eco-marathon Europe, a fuel-efficient car competition.
“The ARTisun solar cells played a key role in the LumenHAUS project’s winning entry. The energy balance between the teams was very competitive – Suniva’s high-efficiency solar cells enabled us to create additional solar arrays that generated the needed power capacity to help the project stand out from the rest of the entries,” said Joseph Wheeler, associate professor and LumenHAUS lead project coordinator, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University.
Powering Innovative Solar Designs around the World
Suniva’s high-efficiency solar cells have played an important role in some of the most unique designs for competition entries around the world, including:
- The LumenHAUS Project – Winner of the first ever European Solar Decathlon, the LumenHAUS project used Suniva’s ARTisun solar cells to create a custom fabricated 1.4 kW solar array that played an integral part of the winning entry. The first string featured 16 solar panels using ARTisun solar cells that were mounted horizontally on the building’s parapet wall. The cells were laminated onto an electrically isolating surface, making the panels 40 to 50 percent lighter and giving it the world’s highest power to weight ratio. The second set of cells was incorporated into the project’s overhang, a scupper projection over the front door of the house.
- The Plastiki Expedition – Suniva’s ARTisun solar cells provided the sole power source for The Plastiki, a one-of-a-kind 60 foot catamaran made out of 12,500 reclaimed plastic bottles and other waste products, built to showcase how we can reuse, recycle and reduce. The Plastiki’s six person crew, led by David de Rothschild, departed the United States over 120 days ago and has sailed over 6000 miles. Earlier this week it reached its final destination of Sydney, Australia.
- Helios Energy Solar Car – Finishing third in the 2010 Shell Eco-marathon Europe, the Helios Energy solar powered car featured ARTisun solar cells from Suniva. The Shell Eco-marathon challenges high school and college student teams from around the world to design, build and test energy efficient vehicles.
- AES Energies CoptoCap – AES Energies developed a new electric car prototype using Suniva’s ARTisun solar cells for CoptoCap – a 12,000 kilometer exhibition from Copenhagen to Cape Town South Africa.
- Pianotrip – The subject of a new documentary film to raise awareness on Green Ecology, Pianotrip follows two travelers transporting a piano across Europe on a Suniva powered freight tricycle.
“Suniva is producing some of the world’s most efficient, high-power solar products as a cost-effective and clean alternative to non-renewable fossil fuels,” said John Baumstark, chairman and chief executive officer of Suniva. “We’re excited to see our products being used in so many ground breaking projects around the world.”
Source: http://www.suniva.com/