SunPower to Build Largest Solar Power Tracking System in Australia

SunPower Corporation, a manufacturer of high-efficiency, solar cells, solar panels, and solar systems, today announced an agreement to build a 505-kilowatt solar power installation for Horizon Power, a government-owned company providing power to remote and regional communities and resource operations in Western Australia. The ground-mounted installation will be located on two sites in Marble Bar and Nullagine, in the east Pilbara region of Western Australia, and will be the largest solar tracking system in Australia.

“Horizon Power is excited to be driving a project that will set a new standard in large-scale renewable energy technology in Australia,” said Horizon Power Managing Director Rod Hayes. “Horizon Power vigorously pursues renewable energy options for power generation and is pleased that regional Western Australians will be able to experience the benefits of leading-edge, large-scale renewable energy technology as a result of our partnership with SunPower.”

“Western Australia is one of the best locations on Earth to capture the power of the sun,” said Bob Blakiston, managing director of SunPower Australia. “The SunPower systems that we build on these sites will maximize the clean, renewable solar power generated for Horizon Power and the communities the company serves.”

SunPower will install SunPower solar tracking technology on the sites, which will maximize the solar plant’s energy delivery, while optimizing land use and reducing related costs. SunPower solar panels, the highest efficiency solar panels on the market today, will also be used to further enhance the production of the system. Construction is expected to be complete by September 2009.

Last month, SunPower announced that it is building a 305-kilowatt rooftop solar power system for the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Alice Springs, Northern Territory. SunPower entered the emerging Australian solar market earlier this year, with the acquisition of Solar Sales Pty Ltd. Solar Sales had partnered with SunPower for several years prior as a leading systems integrator and product distribution organization.