Soitec Selected as a Preferred Bidder Under South Africa's IPP Program for the Supply of 50 Megawatts of Solar Energy

BERNIN, France, December 7, 2011 /PRNewswire/ --

Soitec (Euronext), a world leader in generating and manufacturing revolutionary semiconductor materials for the electronics and energy industries, today announced that it has been selected by South Africa's Department of Energy as one of the preferred bidders under the country's independent power producer (IPP) program. Soitec's initial project under this program is to install a 50-megawatt peak* concentrated photovoltaic (CPV) plant in Touwsrivier, Western Cape, South Africa next to the Aquila Private Game Reserve, where Soitec has already installed a solar pilot plant.

According to the Department of Energy, South Africa's goal is to generate 42 percent of all new electricity from renewable-energy source over the next 20 years. In the IPP program, the Department of Energy says they have received over 300 applications for grid connection.The Department of Energy has applied very strict selection criteria in reviewing the applications and, in its first round of procurement decisions, approved the project proposal submitted by Soitec in partnership with Schneider Electric of South Africa.

Soitec developed the project from inception to its current status of preferred bidder, including conducting the environmental impact assessment and obtaining all the required permits. For the construction phase, Soitec will supply its CPV systems and expertise while Schneider Electric should be providing the Engineering Procurement and Construction (EPC) as well as the Operation and Maintenance (O&M) based on their footprint in South Africa.

With installations around the world, Soitec's CPV technology has proven to be the most efficient and most environmentally friendly solar-power technology. It demonstrates unique cost competitiveness compared to other solar technologies, largely due to its higher production yields at peak times and lower construction and maintenance costs. In addition, CPV technology's abilities to operate without cooling water, to withstand hot ambient temperatures and to accommodate the dual use of land with minimal environmental impact make it perfectly suited for use throughout South Africa.

Schneider Electric's renewable energies access offering covers all needs, from electricity generation through to network connection. The company's services include feasibility studies, architectural design, plant construction, power distribution, supplying all types of equipment such as junction boxes, inverters, transformer substations, the supervision system and video surveillance, as well as operation and maintenance.

* Watt peak: Photovoltaic module power normalized at 1000W/m2 solar irradiation, according to PV standard.

About Soitec

Soitec is an international manufacturing company, a world leader in generating and manufacturing revolutionary semiconductor materials at the frontier of the most exciting energy and electronic challenges. Soitec's products include substrates for microelectronics (most notably SOI : Silicon-on-Insulator) and concentrating photovoltaic systems (CPV). The company's core technologies are Smart Cut™, Smart Stacking™ and Concentrix™, as well as expertise in epitaxy. Applications include consumer and mobile electronics, microelectronics-driven IT, telecommunications, automotive electronics, lighting products and solar power plants for large-scale utilities. Soitec has manufacturing plants and R&D centers in France, Singapore, Germany, and the United States. For more information, visit: http://www.soitec.com.

 
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SOURCE Soitec