World's Largest Rooftop Solar Array To Be Rolled Onto GM Building In Spain

A Michigan company, Energy Conversion Devices, plans to announce Tuesday that it is providing the solar electric system for what it says will be the world's largest rooftop array, on a General Motors assembly plant in Zaragoza, Spain. The project will be 12 megawatts, a huge number in a field where most arrays are measured in kilowatts, units 1,000 times smaller.

The project will use solar devices manufactured in rolls, like carpet runners. Installation will be completed this fall, according to the company, which is based in Rochester Hills, Mich. Energy Conversion will supply the equipment to Veolia Environment and Clairvoyant Energy, which will lease the rooftop space from G.M. and own and operate the installation, which will be two million square feet.

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Comments

[ccpostman]

I'm sure the chinese will really appreciate these solar panels on their new car company building.

[Tom95134]

Spain appears to be one of the leaders in deploying solar energy systems. They are currently building a grouping of large scale solar tower system near Seville.

>> http://www.power-technology.com/projects/Seville-Solar-Tower/

In addition, there is a plan on the drawing boards to build another solar tow3er complex on the south shore of the Mediterranean which will provide electrical energy to all of souther Europe. This system includes the deployment of ultra-high voltage DC transmission which will "pipe" the power around the eastern shore and into souther Europe.

The real sad thing is that almost all of the technology needed to realize these solar systems was developed in the United States. Meanwhile, we set on our hands.

[sheila]

Tom, there is a huge environmental and ratepayer difference between local, point of use systems like the rooftop one and these horrible, blinding, scorching towers which kill off 10,000 acres of wilderness and suck between 35 million and 200 million gallons of desert groundwater each year.

I truly hope that everyone will support a new energy paradigm, now that no mining, drilling, refining, combusting or other centralize fuel is being used, and not just a new version of the old 19th century "remote generation and long distance transmission" model. Since all power projects are built entirely on our dime, and since these giant ones are also built on taxpayer land, it seems incredibly short-sighted to build out an infrastructure that will only serve to further entrench Big Energy monopolies, instead of one that offers us greater reliability (see wildfires/power outages), is much cleaner and environmentally sound (no wilderness death, no water waste), and will compensate US for doing the right thing (i.e. Spain and Germany are also the leaders in local, point of use systems, with extremely low up-front costs and very fair feed-in tariffs for power we produce on our own property.

The US lags so far behind them because they are holding out until Big Energy is in a position to crush local producers. Let's make sure that doesn't happen!

[Ajita]

The reason Spain (and Germany) are doing so well is because the governments there are making it easier for investment by providing feed-in tariffs. Here, the oil companies are getting the subsidies, and the renewable energy companies are facing red tape.

[rextrek]

Germany leads the world on the making of Solar Panels...using every part of the Spectrum.

[research]

Actually Nanosolar is the leader. their one machine is making 1GW worth of solar panels per year. For the Germans.

Watch this very cool video of the solar cell making machine:
http://nanosolar.com/blog3/

[KillTheMessenger]

Actually, Nanosolar is not making anything, yet. I have not seen anything but hype from them. They are planning to make, at best. Their revenue in 2007 was a mere $3.1 million. Maybe you want to inform yourself before you are advertising a tiny fish in a growing pond?

Top ten manufacturers:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_photovoltaics_companies

Something tells me that Nanosolar might actually turn out to be a flop, if not a scam. They are not behaving like a serious company in the high tech business but look much more like a company that is ripping off their investors. I might be wrong. For sure I wouldn't put my own money in them. We shall see.

[Veritas78]

Alas, GM will be out of business soon. I hope the next owner keeps the panels.

[Gasparilla]

Slowly but surely. The good thing about high oil prices is that it's making people consider all these other options.

[KillTheMessenger]

Solar panels do not replace oil unless you have an electric car. Do you have an electric car?

[MajorKong]

They can indirectly replace oil by freeing up natural gas which would otherwise be used to generate electricity. I believe this is what T Boone Pickens is proposing.

[ccpostman]

We did in California. Until some GM exec had a brain fart and killed it!

RIP GM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9vD33UMAtBY&feature=related

[research]

we will. Plug in hybrids will cut oil use by 90%.

[mamacat]

GM seems finally to be trying to get their act together. I hope it is not a case of too little, too late.

[KillTheMessenger]

This isn't GM, at all. They are just providing the roof. The main players here are the companies which are deploying the system. It's like you having a gas well. In reality all you do is to let the gas or oil company drill on your property for a kickback.

[sashimi]

in Spain? Why not here?

[KillTheMessenger]

Way better economics in Spain. For one thing the sun is brighter, for another they get subsidies from the government. You have to keep in mind that Spain is a country with a forward looking government that is trying to improve the country, not like the US which has a backward looking government that likes to reduce other countries to rubble.

[research]

Kill you aware that you can buy "grid connected" inverters that pump electricity back on the grid, right? Most states have "net metering" that allows you to wipe out your electric bill by pumping an equal amount of electricity back onto the grid. Most state also have small producer laws that require the utility to buy excess electricity from you.

[research]

Kill, you are wrong on rooftop solar needing massive grid improvements. Air conditioning is the peak electrical use in most of the country, and it happen when and where the sun shines. All the electricity is consumed locally in the house under that rooftop or in the neighbors house. So it actually decreases grid utilization.

There is plenty of time in the next ten years to deal with the eventual last 20% energy generation conversion to wind and solar.

[philinmedford]

Although I agree with most of what you said, I have to take issue with the "sun is brighter" part. I was in the solar industry in New Mexico (when we had tax credits) and the climate there is one of the best in the world.

"North of the equator, the highest radiation levels in the world are found in the Sahara
desert, the Arabian Gulf area, and the deserts of California and New Mexico."

http://cms.ises.org/uploads2/SSF/pictures/materials/307/solarrad.PDF

[philinmedford]

Might not be a good payback in Detroit.

[kingcityguru]

I have solar panels from Day4Energy (dot com) not because I believe in the hoax of global warming but because they are the most economical on the market. Make it an economic choice and people will make it if it makes sense for them.