CAMARILLO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--A canopy composed of 225 high-performance solar panels from SolarWorld, the largest U.S. solar manufacturer for more than 35 years, will grace the red carpet at the 63rd Primetime Emmy® Awards, giving solar energy its first starring role in U.S. entertainment culture.
The 50-kilowatt system goes prime time during the official live pre-show “Countdown To the Emmys,” airing Sunday, Sept. 18 (7:00-8:00 PM ET live/4:00-5:00 PM live PT) on FOX, where the hottest names in American television will strut beneath the solar awning outside the Nokia Theatre at the L.A. Live entertainment center in downtown Los Angeles. Reliably drawing 12-13 million viewers, the awards show acts as a celebration of popular culture. In that light, this year’s show will present solar power as an energy option available to regular homeowners around the country and even the world.
FOX, presenter of this year’s Emmys, selected SolarWorld’s solar panels to help power the television industry showcase that increasingly has featured green elements in FOX’s campaign “Green it. Mean it.” The many sustainable enhancements of the awards event will include carpet manufactured from recycled materials, energy-efficient lighting, and locally sourced and organically grown food. FOX believes this year’s red carpet pre-show will be the most visible eco-friendly event of its kind.
After the show, the solar panels will go on to star in a sequel role: SolarWorld and Fox will donate them to Habitat for Humanity of Greater Los Angeles, a nonprofit organization dedicated to “eliminating substandard housing by making simple, sustainable and affordable housing a matter of conscience and action.” The panels will serve 10-20 households while enabling Habitat for Humanity to provide better energy efficiency to hard-working, low-income partner families and individuals throughout greater Los Angeles.
A domestic solar producer that employs Americans to manufacture panels according to U.S. environmental, safety and labor standards, SolarWorld is a natural fit for the Emmys. Like Hollywood itself, SolarWorld’s technology is rooted in Southern California. The company’s Camarillo site, considered a solar-industry birthplace, is just 40 miles north of Los Angeles. Today, Camarillo is SolarWorld’s fast-expanding commercial hub for the Americas.
“The Emmys spotlight the tastes, trends and technologies which viewers nationwide are tuning into in their lives,” said Kevin Kilkelly, president of SolarWorld Americas. “This year’s show will mark the historical moment when solar power made its debut in American popular culture.”
Photos and a blog posting on SolarWorld’s star turn will be available here starting later today.
About SolarWorld (www.SolarWorld.com):
SolarWorld is a worldwide leader in offering brand-name, high quality, crystalline solar-power technology. Its strength is its fully integrated solar production. From silicon as the raw material through wafers, cells and modules all the way to turn-key solar systems of all sizes, the group combines all stages of the solar value chain. The central business activity is selling quality modules into the installation and distribution trades and crystalline wafers to the international solar cell industry. Group headquarters are located in Bonn, Germany. The group's largest production facilities operate in Freiberg, Germany and Hillsboro in the U.S. State of Oregon. Sustainability is the basis of the group strategy. Under the name Solar2World, the group supports care projects using off-grid solar-power solutions in developing countries, exemplifying sustainable economic development. Worldwide, SolarWorld employs about 3,500 people. SolarWorld AG has been quoted on the stock exchange since 1999 and today is listed on, among others, the TecDAX and ÖkoDAX as well as in the sustainability index NAI.
About Habitat for Humanity of Greater Los Angeles (www.habitatla.org):
Habitat for Humanity of Greater Los Angeles (HFH GLA) strives to eliminate substandard housing through advocacy, education and partnership with families and individuals in need to build simple, sustainable and affordable housing. Since 1990, HFH GLA has built and renovated more than 700 homes locally and worldwide, transforming the lives of hundreds of individuals. HFH GLA is a GuideStar® Valued Partner. For more information, call 310-323-4663. Visit the organization’s blog at http://buildingagreaterla.blogspot.com.