SAN JOSE, Calif., Sept 1, 2006 /PRNewswire-FirstCall via COMTEX News Network/ -- SunPower Corporation (Nasdaq: SPWR), a Silicon Valley-based manufacturer of the world's highest efficiency, commercially available solar cells and solar panels, celebrated today's dedication of SOLON's Gut Erlasee Solar Park, the world's largest solar electric power plant. This 12 MW solar power plant is located in a working agricultural field in Bavaria, near Arnstein, Germany, and will fulfill the electrical needs of thousands of local customers each year.
SunPower's high-efficiency A-300 solar cells are used in SOLON's "Mover" electricity generation system, designed for deployment in multi-megawatt solar power plants. The movers automatically tilt and rotate during the day to directly face the sun at all times. By combining SunPower's industry-leading, high-performance solar cells with the Mover's ability to maximize daily energy production, each square foot of Mover solar panel surface can generate up to double the annual energy of a fixed solar array using conventional solar. At Gut Erlasee, SunPower's solar cells power about one-third of the Movers but generate a higher proportion of the energy at the Solar Park due to their exceptional performance.
"We are very pleased to be part of today's dedication ceremonies," said Peter Aschenbrenner, vice president of sales and marketing, for SunPower Corp. "This installation is a testament to SOLON's vision to make solar power a mainstream energy source -- in this case providing solar power to thousands of customers in a unique and cost-effective way. We are proud that our high-efficiency solar cells are powering many of the Movers at Gut Erlasee."
Thomas Krupke, CEO of SOLON AG, added, "Since the start of our cooperation last year, SunPower has been an important strategic partner for SOLON. By using SunPower's high-efficiency solar cells, we were able to increase the energy output of our SOLON movers, while offering the solar power market a state of the art product."
About SunPower
SunPower Corporation (Nasdaq: SPWR) designs and manufactures high-efficiency silicon solar cells and solar panels based on an all-back contact cell design. SunPower's solar cells and panels generate up to 50 percent more power per unit area than conventional solar technologies and have a uniquely attractive, all-black appearance. For more information on SunPower or solar technology, please visit the SunPower website at http://www.sunpowercorp.com . SunPower is a majority-owned subsidiary of Cypress Semiconductor Corp. (NYSE: CY).
Forward Looking Statement
Statements made in this release that are not historical in nature and that refer to SunPower's plans and expectations for the future, are forward-looking statements made pursuant to the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. We use words such as "estimates," "anticipates," "believes," "expects," "future," "look forward," "planning," "intends" and similar expressions to identify such forward-looking statements. Our actual results may differ materially due a variety of factors, including but not limited to the risks identified in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. All forward-looking statements included in this release are based upon information available to SunPower as of the date of this release, which may change, and are based on current expectations and are subject to risks and uncertainties which could materially affect the company's results. These and other risk factors are contained in documents that the company files with the SEC, including the Form 10-K for fiscal 2005 and its recent 10-Qs. SunPower is under no obligation to, and expressly disclaims any responsibility to update or alter, its forward-looking statements, whether as al result of new information, future events or otherwise.
NOTE: SunPower is a registered trademark of SunPower Corporation. Cypress is a registered trademark of Cypress Semiconductor Corp. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
SOURCE SunPower Corporation
Julie Blunden, Vice President External Affairs, +1-408-240-5577, or Helen Kendrick, Communications Manager, +1-408-240-5585, or hkendrick@sunpowercorp.com, both of SunPower Corporation
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