PHOTON International The Photovoltaic Magazine

Sun Power and Geothermal to build 15 MW PV system in South Korea

The US company Sun Power and Geothermal Energy Co. Inc. has been contracted to build a 15 MW PV installation in South Korea starting sometime around February.

This would be the world's largest PV system, although larger installations are in the planning stage in Europe.

The California-based solar designer and integrator will construct the system in Sinan County, South Cholla, located about 420 km southwest of Seoul.
According to a Nov. 8 article published by the South Korean Yonhap News Agency, Sun Power and Geothermal plans to use Sharp modules for the installation. But Robert Friedman, vice president of marketing and sales at Sun Power, says that while Sharp is an important vendor it is only one of the suppliers his company is considering. The largest system Sun Power and Geothermal has completed so far is a 1.2 MW installation at the Butte County Administration and Jail Facilities in Oroville, California, which was dedicated on Oct. 26. The installation uses Sharp Electronics 185 W modules.

Friedman declined to give any other details about the South Korean project except to confirm that the installation should be finished sometime around Oct. 2006. According to Yonhap, there are 12 companies in South Cholla seeking to build solar systems with an installed capacity of 37 MW.