Ecoppia E4 Robots in their docking station: Demand for Ecoppia's smart utility-PV cleaning technology has seen a large increase in demand

Riding a wave of increased demand for their technology, Ecoppia - developer, designer, and producer of a pioneering robotic cleaning technology for utility-scale solar sites - today inked a deal to begin mass producing their E4 robots at a new, state-of-the-art facility near Chennai, India.

With the rapid growth of the solar industry in India, Ecoppia has seen skyrocketing demand for its E4 technology. The paradigm-shifting technology can clean an entire solar site in just a few hours, keeping solar energy production at peak efficiency. The deal, bringing together Ecoppia and new OEM partner Sanmina Corp, will see the majority of Ecoppia's production move to India.

"We've seen demand grow across the board in 2015 - but India remains our top market and the natural choice for us to build a state-of-the-art production facility," said Eran Meller, CEO of Ecoppia. "To do that we needed a strong partner, one that could help scale up production quickly. With Sanmina as our OEM, there's no doubt we're moving into a very strong market position."

Ecoppia's E4 is the only bankable, effective and cost-effective solution in the important market of utility-scale PV panel cleaning. The industry has long been challenged by the need for consistent and water-free cleaning but reluctant to grant certification to technologies that may damage panels and impact energy production efficiency. Ecoppia has surmounted the problem, passing all industry tests and winning blanket certification from every panel maker it's approached while maintaining international production standards.

Sanmina, a Fortune 500 company and one of the world's leading OEMs, has a long history of manufacturing hardware, optics, electronics and clean technology for business clients and provides Ecoppia with a clear advantage in being able to quickly scale-up to meet the demands of India's, and the world's, largest solar projects.

"The momentum we're seeing in the market suggests that Prime Minister Modi's goal of 100 GW of solar by 2022 will be achievable and we are excited that we can play a role in providing cost-effective solar energy, bring new industry to India and create local jobs," said Ecoppia's Meller.

About Ecoppia

Ecoppia is dedicated to maximizing solar park value creation by increasing output and lowering production overhead. The company's autonomous, water-free, field-proven solar array cleaning solution cost-effectively keeps photovoltaic panels at peak performance, even in the toughest desert conditions, cleaning 5 million solar panels every month. Privately-held, Ecoppia is backed by experienced major international investment funds and led by energy and robotics experts, with broad and multidisciplinary experience and proven records of success in operations, management, engineering and product development. For more information about Ecoppia please visit www.ecoppia.com.

About Sanmina

Sanmina makes some of the most complex and innovative optical, electronic and mechanical products in the world. Recognized as a technology leader, Sanmina provides end-to-end design, manufacturing and logistics solutions, delivering superior quality and support to Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) primarily in the communications networks, computing and storage, medical, defense and aerospace, industrial and semiconductor, multimedia, automotive and clean technology sectors.