BSH Warehouse to Get PV Array on Roof Dec 11, 2009

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Progress Energy Carolinas has signed a contract with Advanced Green Technologies (AGT) in which AGT will build, own, and operate a 1.27-megawatt (MW) solar photovoltaic (PV) array on the roof of a BSH Home Appliances warehouse in New Bern, NC, and sell the output to the utility for distribution to its customers.

BSH Home Appliances is the tenant of the large New Bern warehouse upon which the solar PV array will be built.

Using thin-film, building-integrated solar PV (BIPV) technology, the array will cover approximately 210,000 square feet of the roof area. A BIPV system integrates photovoltaic modules into the building envelope, such as the roof or the façade.

The BIPV array is a collection of flexible, thin-film, amorphous silicon solar panels that generate electricity when exposed to sunlight. The solar panels are characterized by their triple-junction technology, capturing the full spectrum of sunlight more efficiently and generating electricity at low light levels.

The new AGT solar array is expected to be online in spring 2010 and will generate about 1.5 million kilowatt-hours (kWh) of electricity per year, reducing carbon dioxide emissions by more than 1000 tons annually. This is equivalent to the annual greenhouse gas emissions from about 200 vehicles. The expected annual energy output equals the annual energy usage of about 100 typical households.

"BSH is constantly developing and adapting new procedures that will reduce our environmental impact – from employing green manufacturing practices to engineering energy-efficient appliance performance," said Michael Traub, president and CEO of BSH Home Appliances. "The New Bern solar project allows us to take our eco-commitment a step further by bringing even more renewable energy to the power grid."

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