Through this on-the-ground presence, Solar Frontier will be able to support several announced projects in Saudi Arabia while tapping into the vast potential for growth in a region well-suited to Solar Frontiers proprietary technology.
"The Al Khobar office will play a key role in expanding our overall presence in Middle Eastern growth markets, said Atsuhiko Hirano, Solar Frontiers Senior Vice President of Marketing and Power Generation Projects. Solar Frontiers CIS solar modules are proving durable in the most extreme conditions. Backed by a strong level of manufacturing quality, scale, and expertise, Solar Frontier has the capacity to meet the challenging Middle East environment and huge potential demand for solar energy in the region."
Solar Frontiers proprietary CIS technology advantages in desert climates include a lower temperature coefficient compared to crystalline silicon, meaning a smaller loss in conversion efficiency as temperatures increase, a strong frame reinforcement that is tapered to resist sand and dust accumulation, and durable construction assured by high-quality Japanese manufacturing.
Solar Frontier is already involved in a number of projects in Saudi Arabia, including the 10kW King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) installation, the recently-announced 500kW power plant supplying Farasan Islands remotely installed and grid connected power plant, and the 10MW "North Park Project" with Saudi Aramco, which is due to come on line by the end of 2011.
The Saudi Arabian solar energy sector is a strong growth market. The country has naturally high insolation levels (7kWh of energy per square meter in 12 hours of daylight), and its government has announced plans to diversify its energy base with sustainable solutions. The demand for electricity in the Kingdom is increasing significantly in line with population growth, meaning solar energy has the potential to provide a significant part of the additional electricity required to meet this demand.
Solar Frontier, headquartered in Tokyo, also has international offices in Europe (Munich, Germany) and the United States (Santa Clara, California). With the addition of Al Khobar, Solar Frontier further broadens its reach to customers in all major solar markets worldwide as well as many potential growth markets, enabling development of its sales portfolio and opportunities to increase the economical and ecological benefits that it can pass on to its customers.
