Granite Chief and SolFocus Partner to Bring Advanced Solar Technology to Mexico

SAN JOSE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Granite Chief and SolFocus today announced their partnership to bring solar power plants to Mexico. These power plants will be based on Concentrator Photovoltaic (CPV) technology, which provides high efficiency in converting sunlight to electricity. As a local Mexican renewable energy developer, Granite Chief will lead the deployment of projects in various market sectors, and SolFocus will provide the technology to deliver dependable, low cost solar energy to its customers.

“We anticipate deploying up to 20 MW of SolFocus CPV over the next 24 months – these projects are just the start for solar energy in our country.”

As its first project of scale, Granite Chief will install a 1 megawatt (MW) CPV solar farm in Apaseo el Grande, Guanajuato. This solar farm will incorporate 113 SolFocus SF-1100S CPV systems, and will provide power to Granite Chief’s factory. Construction on the plant will begin in late 2011, with completion early next year.

“This power plant alone will provide about a 25 percent increase in the operational capacity of solar energy in Mexico,” said Granite Chief CEO Fernando Arriaga. “Installation of this plant at our own factory provides an excellent return to the company in reduced energy costs, and also showcases the potential for similar plants across Mexico. With the excellent generation capability of SolFocus CPV, we can provide customers a dependable electricity supply with predictable energy prices.” He added, “We anticipate deploying up to 20 MW of SolFocus CPV over the next 24 months – these projects are just the start for solar energy in our country.”

At the Green Expo in Mexico City (Sept. 28, 2011), Granite Chief also announced a demonstration project that they donated to the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM). This donation includes an installation of a SolFocus SF-1100S CPV system to the University, which in addition to providing power to some of the campus lighting, will more importantly provide the opportunity for hands-on experience with this advanced PV technology. UNAM, home to 300,000 students, is a renowned technical institution.

"We are very grateful to SolFocus and Granite Chief for this significant donation,” said Maestro Gonzalo Guerrero, faculty director of engineering at UNAM. “We are confident that our students can make the most out of this innovative solar system in order to make Mexico more competitive in solar energy technology education, and provide clean energy to our country.”

“As the largest CPV installation in Mexico, this is a milestone project for the country,” said SolFocus CEO Mark Crowley. “SolFocus has been operating smaller solar projects in Mexico for over a year. We are pleased to now be working with Granite Chief in bringing efficient and resource-friendly solar technology to Mexico.”

About SolFocus

SolFocus is a leading developer and manufacturer of solar energy systems based on Concentrator Photovoltaic (CPV) technology. The company’s mission is to deliver the lowest cost of solar energy in high solar resource regions of the world. Achieving this objective starts with developing industry-leading, high-efficiency products which deliver the highest energy harvest of any technology available today. When combined with volume manufacturing and component sourcing the technology drives delivery and operation costs to their lowest. In addition to low costs, SolFocus produces product that provides extended reliability and field durability, critical requirements when deploying energy systems which will remain productive in the field for over 25 years. Currently SolFocus is actively deploying product around the globe. SolFocus products can be seen operating t in 12 countries on six continents. SolFocus CPV systems are certified to the rigorous standards of IEC 62108, and are backed by Munich Re performance insurance. For more information on SolFocus visit www.solfocus.com.

About Granite Chief

Granite Chief is a Mexican company focused on developing alternative energy working with manufacturers to bring wind and solar energy to Mexico. The company specializes in solar energy, both solar thermal and photovoltaics. As well, Granite Chief offers services in energy efficiency, mini hydro electric and wind energy. Within the Granite Chief Group is the a wind energy developer, providing wind energy into the Mexico electrical grid.