Sharp CALRENEW-1 User Manual

CALRENEW-1 DELIVERS ZERO EMISSION SOLAR ELECTRICITY TO PG&E

Location is a project of Meridian Energy USA, Inc., a subsidiary of Meridian Energy Ltd.

PROJECT

CalRENEW-1 is the ﬁ rst large scale solar project to achieve CAISO approval to deliver zero-emission solar power directly to the transmission level grid. This is signiﬁ cant because it enables electricity from solar facilities like CalRENEW-1 to be scheduled directly into the grid so that it can be moved over utility lines to meet electricity demands elsewhere.

CalRENEW-1 delivers ﬁ ve megawatts of emissions-free solar electricity to PG&E under a long term power purchase agreement. It generates electricity from more than 50,000 Sharp thin ﬁ lm solar modules, which occupy 50 acres of formerly fallow farm land in California’s Central Valley.

SOLUTION

CalRENEW-1 was developed and is owned by Meridian Energy USA, Inc., a subsidiary of Meridian Energy Limited. Engineering and installation of the facility was provided by Quanta Renewable Energy Services. Sharp Electronics Corporation’s Solar Energy Solutions Group supplied the thin ﬁ lm photovoltaic modules, the ﬁ rst major deployment of Sharp’s amorphous thin ﬁ lm product in the U.S. Sharp’s amorphous silicon thin ﬁ lm modules are ideally suited for multi-megawatt solar applications. Produced using only a fraction of the silicon used in crystalline solar cells, Sharp’s thin ﬁ lm products o er high performance with less semiconductor material, lowering the cost per kilowatt hour. Sharp’s tandem-junction thin ﬁ lm solar modules feature up to a 9% module conversion e ciency and high 121 watt and 128 watt power output.

OVERVIEW

LOCATION:

Mendota, CA

SYSTEM DEVELOPER:

Meridian Energy USA, Inc., a subsidiary of Meridian Energy Limited

CONTRACTOR:

Quanta Renewable Energy Services

DATE COMPLETED:

April 2010

PEAK CAPACITY:

5 MW

NUMBER OF MODULES:

Over 50,000

PRODUCT:

Sharp 128 and 121 watt Thin Film modules

PROJECT SURFACE AREA:

50 acres

BECOME POWERFUL

PERFORMANCE RESULTS

CalRENEW-1 is the ﬁ rst utility-scale photovoltaic solar electricity plant to connect to the California Independent System Operator’s (CAISO) transmission grid under the state’s Renewables Portfolio Standards program. CalRENEW-1 is among the most advanced photovoltaic solar facilities in the world. Avoided emissions from the facility will be an estimated

6.3 million lbs/year of CO2, the primary source of global warming and climate change, plus 6,905 lbs/year of NOx and 5,451 lbs/year of SO2 (source: EPA eGRID2002 database).

“ Sharp is proud that our

cutting edge thin ﬁ lm modules will help deliver clean power to the residents of California.”

– Eric Hafter, senior vice president,

Sharp Solar Energy Solutions Group

SYSTEM BENEFITS

• CalRENEW-1 delivers 5 megawatts of

emissions-free solar electricity to PG&E under a long term power purchase agreement.

• CalRENEW-1 is among the most

advanced photovoltaic solar facilities in the world.

• Avoided emissions from the facility will

be an estimated 6.3 million lbs/year of CO2, the primary source of global warming and climate change, plus 6,905 lbs/year of NOx and 5,451 lbs/ year of SO2 (source: EPA eGRID2002 database).

THE NAME TO TRUST

When you choose Sharp, you get more than well-engineered products. You also get Sharp’s proven reliability, outstanding customer service and the assurance of our 25-year limited warranty on power output. A global leader in solar electricity, Sharp powers more homes and businesses than any other solar manufacturer worldwide.

Desig n and sp eciﬁ cation s are sub ject t o chan ge wit hout notice.

10F-0 62 Photo co urtesy of Quant a Renewable Energy Ser vices

SHARP ELECTRONICS CORPORATION 5901 Bolsa Avenue, Huntington Beach, CA 92647

1-800-SOLAR-06 • Email: Sharpsolar@SharpUSA.com www.SharpUSA.com/solar

tradem ark of Sh arp Corporation. A ll rights reser ved. A ll other tradem arks are proper ty of their respective ow ners.