Solar Power World

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A French manufacturer of semiconductor materials has a new concentrator photovoltaic (CPV) mini-tracker. Soitec says its Plug&Sun is easy to install and consists of 3m² of highly efficiency modules.

The system is designed for use in highly sunny regions with no power grid or unreliable grid connections. The mobile power-generating station’s durability and tolerance for high temperatures make it well suited for remote usage. The stand-alone mini-tracker aims to supplement or replace existing electrification solutions, such as power generators or other forms of renewable energy. It delivers superior energy efficiency, eliminates any reliance on fuel supplies and needs very little maintenance.

With efficiency close to 30%, each Plug&Sun uses a two-axis tracker to generate up to 2.3 kWp of clean and reliable electricity. It is compatible with the different electrical standards, allowing it to power common electrical devices simply and rapidly, 24 hours a day, seven days a week thanks to its batteries.

Soitec says its mini-tracker will be of special interest to businesses and organizations looking for installations that are easy to transport and install. It is a good solution to bring electricity to an isolated village, to equip a school, a dispensary or a hospital with electrical infrastructure, as well as to help open up a region by setting up a RF antenna to power electronic devices.

“We wanted to make it possible to use our technology in geographical regions where access to electricity is difficult to get,” said André-Jacques Auberton-Hervé, president and CEO of Soitec. ”For example, it takes just a few hours to set up three mini-trackers, which can generate 12kW on a daily basis, the equivalent of the amount of electricity needed for a village. It will ease access to electricity for the 20% of the worldwide population which lives without electricity today.”

Soitec has begun taking prototype orders for the Plug&Sun system. Shipments of production units to customers are expected to begin in the course of 2012.