Los Angeles utility powers up 11.4-MW (DC) SolarWorld solar system

Adelanto project leads LADWP's shift to more renewable power generation

CAMARILLO, Calif., July 23, 2012 – At an employee recognition and commissioning event near the town of Adelanto in California's Mojave Desert, the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) dedicated the Adelanto Solar Power Plant, an 11.4-megawatt DC solar installation designed and supplied by SolarWorld, the largest U.S. solar manufacturer for more than 35 years. The Adelanto project, which features SolarWorld's American-made solar panels and proprietary racking, will harvest the solar energy advantages of clean, renewable power for homes and businesses in Los Angeles.


Designed and procured by SolarWorld's engineering, procurement and construction division in Camarillo, Calif., the Adelanto Solar Power Plant pairs the nation's largest municipal utility with the largest and most experienced American solar manufacturer. Comprised of 46,322 of SolarWorld's 250-watt solar panels mounted on more than 5 million pounds of the company's Sunfix Ground Mount racking, the system is expected to generate 515,700 MWh of electricity over its 25-year life, the equivalent of powering 85,850 homes each for one year and replacing 290,000 metric
tons of CO2.

"The Adelanto project marks an important milestone in the transition of LADWP's power supply from coal power to more renewable sources of energy," said Ronald O. Nichols, general manager of LADWP. "The selection of SolarWorld, a company that designs and manufacturers complete solar systems in America according to the highest quality, safety and environmental standards, gives us the confidence to know that this system will reliably serve our ratepayers for decades into the future."

Located on a 40-acre site 65 miles north of Los Angeles, the Adelanto project features an impressive assortment of domestically produced electrical components. In addition to American-made solar panels and racking, the project's inverters, connectors, surge arresters, transformers, combiner boxes and switch board all were made in the USA. All told, seven domestic manufacturers employing more 40,000 Americans were involved in the project.

"As we celebrate completion of the Adelanto Solar Power Plant, we applaud LADWP's multi-faceted approach to solar energy deployment," said Kevin Kilkelly, president of SolarWorld Americas. "This project showcases the role that American engineering and manufacturing talent, throughout the entire solar supply chain, can and should play in utility-scale solar development."

The Adelanto Solar Power Plant ties into a switching and converter station at the southern terminus of LADWP's Southern Transmission System, which links Southern California with wind farms and the existing Intermountain Power Project, a power-generation facility in Utah capable of producing 1,800 megawatts of electricity.

About SolarWorld (www.SolarWorld.com)
SolarWorld (ISIN: DE0005108401) is a worldwide leader in offering brand-name, high-quality, crystalline silicon solar-power technology. The company's strength is its fully integrated solar production. From silicon as the raw material through wafers, cells and panels all the way to turn-key solar systems of all sizes, the group combines all stages of the solar value chain. The central business activity is selling high-quality panels into the installation and distribution trades and wafers to the international solar cell industry. Group headquarters are located in Bonn, Germany, with sales sites in Singapore, South Africa, Spain, France as well as in the U.S. state of California. The group's largest production facilities operate in Freiberg, Germany, and Hillsboro in the U.S. state of Oregon. Sustainability is the basis of the group strategy. Under the name Solar2World, the group supports community aid projects using off-grid solar-power solutions in developing countries, exemplifying sustainable economic development. Worldwide, SolarWorld employs about 3,000 people. SolarWorld AG has been quoted on the stock exchange since 1999 and today is listed on, among others, the TecDAX and ÖkoDAX as well as in the sustainability index NAI.

Featured Product

S-5!® PVKIT™ 2.0 Solar Rooftop Solutions

S-5!® PVKITâ„¢ 2.0 Solar Rooftop Solutions

The concept of combining PV arrays with standing seam metal roofing is growing-for good reasons. Metal roofs have a life expectancy of more than 40 years. Shouldn't the mounting system last as long? With S-5! zero-penetration attachment technology and PVKIT 2.0, the solarized metal roof is the most sustainable system available -and without compromising roof warranties! PVKIT 2.0 is the also the best solution for attaching PV modules directly to any exposed fastener metal roof.