Solar Frontier announced today that it has supplied Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. with approximately 40 kW of CIS thin film solar modules in partnership with Showa Shell Sekiyu. The modules installed on the lower level rooftop of Nissans global headquarters in Yokohama, Japan, will be used mainly to power rapid charging systems for electric vehicles in the building. The power from this system can charge around 1,800 Nissan Leaf electric vehicles per year.
This installation is the result of successful trials for an electric vehicle rapid charging system that combines CIS thin film solar cells and lithium-ion batteries, jointly conducted by Nissan Motors and Showa Shell Sekiyu as part of a project sponsored by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry.
It is also part of an effort by Nissan to achieve a zero emissions society by not only producing cleaner vehicles, but also by eliminating emissions at their point of power generation. Any excess electricity left over from daytime consumption can be efficiently stored using lithium-ion batteries, resulting in a stable supply of power during nighttime hours or during times of emergency energy need.
Solar Frontier is committed to supporting Nissans vision for a zero emissions society, said Atsuhiko Hirano, Solar Frontiers Senior Vice President of Marketing and Power Generation Projects. Realizing zero emissions at the point of power generation is crucial in this vision, and Solar Frontiers efficient production processes and high-performance CIS panels combine compelling economical and ecological attributes to bring this longer-term goal for sustainable energy ever closer.
The CIS thin film modules used for this project were produced with Solar Frontiers proprietary technology. Its highly automated plants leverage lower overall energy consumption in manufacturing to yield a faster energy payback time, with ecological priority in every process: from requiring fewer raw materials to using reusable, environmentally-friendly packaging.
Installation overview:
- Solar Modules – CIS thin film solar cells with maximum output of 40 kilowatts (Solar Frontier)
- Power Conditioner – Rated output of 40kW (10kW×4 units) (Sanyo Denki Co., Ltd.)
- Storage Battery Capacity – 96 kWh (Lithium-ion batteries for 4 Nissan Leaf vehicles)
- Grid Control Device – Rated output of 200kW (Sanyo Denki Co., Ltd.)
- EV Charger – three Rapid Chargers (50kW×3 units), four normal chargers (3.3kW×14 units)
