ROCHESTER HILLS, Mich., May 18, 2010 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- UNI-SOLAR, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Energy Conversion Devices (Nasdaq:ENER), today announced it is participating in one of the country's largest rooftop testing sites for photovoltaic (PV) modules. The test site, hosted by ProLogis Renewable Energy, is on a utility-scale rooftop in Denver, Colorado.
UNI-SOLAR is based in Michigan with innovative technology and manufacturing facilities in Auburn Hills and Greenville. UNI-SOLAR is the only large-scale manufacturer of lightweight, flexible thin-film photovoltaic products in the U.S.
ProLogis is a leading global provider of distribution facilities, with more than 450 million square feet of roof space worldwide available for solar photovoltaic installations. UNI-SOLAR already has 4.7 MW of PV installations active, or soon to be this year, on the grid on additional ProLogis rooftops in the USA (3.5 MW), Spain (5 MW) and France (0.7 MW).
"We appreciate this opportunity to expand our relationship with ProLogis," said Mark Morelli, President and CEO of UNI-SOLAR's parent company, Energy Conversion Devices. ProLogis is a responsible corporate partner with UNI-SOLAR and has the vision for bringing more renewable energy right into the communities they serve around the globe."
"This test site will provide a wealth of information about PV on rooftops and gives UNI-SOLAR the opportunity to showcase our unique, lightweight product. We believe these installations will provide clean, inexpensive energy to the power grid and also increase awareness of the benefits of solar energy as a top renewable energy source in North America and across the globe for generations to come."
The Denver site totals 11 kWp DC of power generation capacity from 99 modules and eight different module manufacturers: Ascent Solar, First Solar, GS-Solar, MiaSole, Solyndra, Suniva, UNI-SOLAR and Xunlight. Already generating power, the initial configuration provides side-by-side comparisons of several module technologies, including monocrystalline, glass-on-glass thin film and membrane-applied thin film modules. In addition, the installation contains 16 individually monitored strings, each designed to test a certain system parameter.
Overall, ProLogis has solar projects installed or under construction on 32 buildings throughout France, Germany, Japan, Spain and the United States. The installations cover more than 10.6 million square feet (984,800 square meters) of roof space and total 24.6 MW.
About Energy Conversion Devices
Energy Conversion Devices (ECD) (Nasdaq:ENER) is a leader in building-integrated and rooftop photovoltaics. The company manufactures, sells and installs thin-film solar laminates that convert sunlight to energy using proprietary technology. ECD's UNI-SOLAR® brand products are unique because of their flexibility, light weight, ease of installation, durability, and real-world efficiency. Through its Solar Integrated Technologies business, the company also designs, manufactures and installs rooftop photovoltaic systems, which enable customers to transform unused space on the rooftop into a value-generating asset. In addition, ECD's Ovonic Materials Division is the pioneer in NiMH battery technology, and is developing low cost fuel cells, hydrogen production from bioreformation, and hydrogen storage technologies. For more information, please visit www.energyconversiondevices.com.
About ProLogis
ProLogis is a leading global provider of distribution facilities, with more than 475 million square feet of industrial space (44 million square meters) in markets across North America, Europe and Asia. The company leases its industrial facilities to more than 4,400 customers, including manufacturers, retailers, transportation companies, third-party logistics providers and other enterprises with large-scale distribution needs. For additional information about the company, go to http://www.prologis.com.
This release may contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Safe Harbor Provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements include statements concerning our plans, objectives, goals, strategies, future events, future net sales or performance, capital expenditures, financing needs, plans or intentions relating to expansions, business trends and other information that is not historical information. All forward-looking statements are based upon information available to us on the date of this release and are subject to risks, uncertainties and other factors, many of which are outside of our control, that could cause actual results to differ materially from the results discussed in the forward-looking statements. Risks that could cause such results to differ include: our ability to maintain our customer relationships; the worldwide demand for electricity and the market for solar energy; the supply and price of components and raw materials for our products; our customers' ability to access the capital needed to finance the purchase of our products; and risks associated with integrating Solar Integrated Technologies, Inc. The risk factors identified in the ECD filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including the company's most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and most recent Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, could impact any forward-looking statements contained in this release.