SunRay Renewable Energy Announces Agreement With SunPower Corporation

SunRay Renewable Energy announced an agreement with SunPower Corporation to construct a 24 MW solar electric power facility in Italy. The facility which will be constructed on an 80 hectare lot in Montalto di Castro has received funding from several different banks most of which are international, although some are Italian. The solar electric plant is anticipated to be completed by the end of this year, and once finished will be Italy’s largest solar facility.

Construction at the site had already begun earlier this year, and has been responsible for creating over 200 green jobs locally. The facility will generate power for the nearby area as well as to be pumped into Italy’s national grid. Unique to this solar energy plant, however, will be the on site education centre designed to educate locals on the importance of green energy.

The planned facility is part of a larger project to develop 100 MW of solar power in the area by 2010. The plant at Montalto di Castro has been specially designed to blend in to the surrounding countryside as well as help maintain the local ecosystem, according to Giora Salita, the head of business and development for SunRay.

SunRay has developed and will own the facility, and have chosen SunPower to design the power plant as well as handle the construction. SunPower will also retain a maintenance and operations contract under the agreement.

The site will feature SunPower PV panels as well as other SunPower technologies, including their Tracker technology. The fully planned project is anticipated to generate 100 MW of clean energy and should be operating at full capacity by 2010.