Posted on 9/14/2007 11:46:40 AM

Auburn Hills-based United Solar Ovonic said Friday that it had been selected for one of the largest-ever solar power installations in corporate use.

Solar panels from the Energy Conversion Devices Inc. subsidiary will be installed on the roof of a GM plant in Fontana, Calif.

When completed in December, the installation will produce 1.3 million kilowatt hours of electricity a year, roughly the amount needed to power 500 homes for one year.

The Fontana solar array will be installed atop GM's 300,000 square foot warehouse. This installation follows United Solar Ovonic's similar-sized installation at another GM facility in Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.

Constellation Energy Projects & Services Group, a division of Constellation Energy, will own and operate the rooftop system and provide power to the GM facility under a 25-year power purchase agreement.

United Solar, building on technology invented and pioneered by ECD, is the world leader in thin-film amorphous photovoltaic panels. Because of characteristics unique to the United Solar Ovonic solar cell technology, such as light weight, ruggedness and flexibility, it is ideal as building-integrated photovoltaic roofing systems for residential and industrial customers. ECD and United Solar Ovonic hold the basic patents covering the continuous roll-to-roll manufacturing of thin-film amorphous-silicon alloy multi-junction solar cells and related products.

More at www.uni-solar.com.

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