Solar Frontier CIS modules power Italian shopping centre
Solar Frontier Europe, has announced that its CIS modules were selected for use in a solar installation on the roof of the Il Centro shopping centre in Arese near Milan, Italy.
With approximately 200 shops over an area of 100,000 square meters, the shopping centre is the largest one in Italy and counts among the largest in Europe.
The installation features 1.4 MW of nominal power and completely covers the roof of the Il Centro shopping centre. While P.M. Service from Pontassieve acted as the distributor, ING srl (ING) was responsible for the installation of both the thermal power plant and the PV system, which contribute to reducing the energy demands of the mega commercial mall.
"In order to ensure the safety and comfort of our guests, we require a great deal of energy each day. It was important to us to draw on renewable energy sources, to express our commitment to a cleaner environment," said Gabriele Ghilardi, owner of ING. "We decided to propose Solar Frontier's modules as an alternative solution, given the higher performance and quality compared to crystalline silicon technologies," he added.
The energy generated is used to light the building and run the air conditioning system. Excess energy is sold to the grid. Altogether, the installation covers 50 percent of the daily energy needs of the shopping centre, which opened in April this year. Comprised of 8,295 of Solar Frontier's 170 Wp modules, the installation was mounted on the roof between October 2015 and January 2016.
"We're pleased that Solar Frontier is part of such a trendsetting project that can serve as a model for major consumers in Europe. With approximately 1,400 kilowatt hours of solar radiation per square meter annually, the region around Milan is ideal for capitalising on solar energy. The installation saves more than 800 tons of CO2 each year and ensures that the shopping centre is not dependent on rising electricity prices," said Wolfgang Lange, md of Solar Frontier Europe.
P.M. Service has chosen Solar Frontier's CIS modules for this prestigious project for several reasons: "Solar Frontier has been a reliable partner for over five years. We selected the CIS modules for this project, because of their excellent temperature stability as well as the high yield at lower irradiation," explained Massimo Innocenti and Andrea Parrini, owners of P.M. Service.
