OPEL International and Partner Complete Phase One of Commercial HCPV Installation
Utility Grade Solar Farm of 110 kW Delivers Revenue and Power Grid Production
Shelton, CT and Toronto, ON, July 7, 2009 – OPEL International Inc., (TSX-V: OPL), a leading
global developer and supplier of high concentration photovoltaic (“HCPV”) and other solar products,
including ground-based and rooftop tracker systems, and its Spanish partner, BETASOL, today
announced that the first phase of a four-phase, 440 kilowatt (kW) utility grade solar photovoltaic power
plant has been completed in Spain. This initial phase, which is generating 110 kW, represents one of
the first HCPV installations supplying commercial electricity to the power grid and is already
generating revenue for BETASOL.
OPEL built this installation with its Mk-I high concentration panels (HCPVs) mounted on dual axis
trackers. The balance of the installation is expected to be done during the third quarter of 2009. When
the project is fully completed, it will supply electricity to over 350 households.
OPEL’s partner, BETASOL, a Spanish company, specializes in building utility grade solar farm
installations and their subsequent sale to investor groups. Solar farms are a collection of solar panels
mounted on trackers that convert solar energy into electricity. This utility grade solar farm is located in
the Province of Tarragona in Spain, a prime area for solar deployments.
“The successful completion of the initial 110 kW phase of this HCPV system represents one of the first
commercial grade installations using HCPV technology generating revenue in Spain, and we view it as
a continued expansion of OPEL’s leading edge solar concentrating technology,” said Robert Pico, CEO
of OPEL International.
“We are excited about the operational completion of this HCPV solar power plant, which is now
delivering electricity to the power grid in Spain, and we are pleased to share this success with our
partner, BETASOL, Pico added. This installation has attracted great interest of potential customers in
both Europe and Africa. Our HCPV technology promises to deliver cost effective solar generated
power to many markets across Europe and Africa.”
“We at BETASOL are very pleased to have this project now providing renewable solar electricity to
the power grid using HCPV, one of the advanced solar technologies in the world today,” said Jesus
Cabetas, Managing Director of BETASOL. “Our partnership with OPEL using its HCPV panels greatly
improved the system’s efficiency, thus making the rate of return provided by the Spanish feed-in tariff
structure even more attractive to investors.”
“OPEL’s Mk-I HCPV panel design is a cost competitive solution concentrating light from the sun more
than 500 times on to very high efficiency multi junction solar cells,” said Frank Middleton, Vice
President of Marketing for OPEL International. “This product has conversion efficiencies up to twice
those of silicon solar panels and more than three times that of thin film solar panels, making it an
optimum solution, especially in sunny climates such as the Mediterranean basin and the South Western
United States.”
OPEL will continue to report on its progress with this leading solar technology as it completes the other
phases of this project.