SCHOTT Solar PV, Inc. and Berkshire Photovoltaic Services Announce New Solar Art Installation

NORTH ADAMS, Mass., Oct. 22 /PRNewswire/ -- SCHOTT Solar PV, Inc. ("SCHOTT Solar") and Berkshire Photovoltaic Services (BPVS) announced today the completion of a Photovoltaic (PV) installment for a new exhibition at the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art (Mass MoCA). The exhibit, "All Utopias Fell" opens on October 24.

"SCHOTT Solar is committed to being part of a strong solar industry and this exhibition is a great example of solar working in a new and creative way for Massachusetts," said Tom Hecht, President and Chief Sales Officer of SCHOTT Solar PV, Inc. "It's our privilege to work with partners like BPVS, who are helping the state develop renewable energy by installing PV systems throughout the Commonwealth."

Artist Michael Oatman created "All Utopias Fell" using PV modules produced by SCHOTT Solar, and Evergreen Solar. The modules are connected to Solectria Inverters made in Andover and attached to the installation using mounts produced in Waltham.

The PV modules are featured in each of the installation's three sequential spaces: "The Shining" (the outside of a repurposed Airstream trailer), "The Library of the Sun" (a laboratory and library inside the trailer), and "Codex Solis" (a 230-foot-long grid composed of mirrors and the PV panels).

"BPVS is dedicated to providing durable PV systems and bringing clean electricity to western Massachusetts. Working on a project like 'All Utopias Fell' is an exciting opportunity to show a PV system's wide range of uses," said Chris Kilfoyle, President of BPVS.

BPVS installed a 1.8 kW array from SCHOTT Solar for the PV panels used in the first two stops in the exhibit. The final portion is interspersed with a 51.6 kW array installed in 2007.

A reception for the opening of the exhibit takes place Saturday, October 23:

About BPVS

Since 1985, Berkshire Photovoltaic Services (BPVS) has installed hundreds of Photovoltaic Systems in the area. We favor Photovoltaic components manufactured in our region both to support the local economy and because these modules, mounts, and power electronics are the best in the world.

BPVS is fully licensed (MA HIC 131996) and insured for commercial, institutional and residential PV Systems. All of our installations are fully permitted and approved. BPVS has helped pave the way for PV acceptance by installing the first (and often second, third and fourth) solar electric systems in over 90 jurisdictions and several utility territories. Many of the systems featured on this site were funded in part by New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) and Massachusetts Renewable Energy Trust Fund Programs. BPVS has provided design and installation support for Electric Utilities, National Renewable Energy Lab (NREL), Department of Energy (DOE), United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) grant recipients and research programs.

Our mission is to provide safe, efficient and durable PV Systems.

About SCHOTT Solar

SCHOTT Solar, with its high quality products, enables the potential of the sun as a nearly inexhaustible source of energy to be utilized. SCHOTT Solar produces important components for photovoltaic applications and solar energy power plants. In the production of receivers for solar power plants, SCHOTT Solar sees itself as a market and technology leader. Receivers from SCHOTT Solar are key components in large-scale power plants that generate electricity from solar energy centrally on the basis of parabolic trough technology and are able to supply entire cities with power. SCHOTT Solar has production facilities in the United States Germany, the Czech Republic, and Spain. The innovative power and technological competence of the company date back to the late 1950s. SCHOTT Solar is a wholly owned subsidiary of the international SCHOTT group. SCHOTT develops special materials, components and systems for the household appliance, pharmaceutical, solar energy, electronics, optical and automotive industries. With approximately 17,000 employees producing worldwide sales of approximately $3 billion. In North America, SCHOTT's holding company SCHOTT Corporation and its subsidiary SCHOTT North America, Inc. and their affiliates employ about 3,000 people in 14 production operations with 6 sales offices.

The company's technological and economic expertise is closely linked with its social and ecological responsibilities.

SOURCE SCHOTT Solar PV, Inc.