Boeing signs CPV contract

Boeing has signed a multi-million dollar contract to supply concentrator photovoltaic (CPV) cell assemblies to an Australian company that produces renewable solar energy.

Under the contract with Solar Systems of Hawthorn, Victoria, Boeing will deliver 500,000 concentrator solar cell assemblies for use at power stations that generate renewable energy for small, remote Australian communities. Spectrolab of Sylmar, California, a wholly owned Boeing subsidiary, will manufacture the cells. Deliveries will begin later this year.

According to Boeing, the solar cell assemblies will be capable of generating more than 11 megawatts of electricity, which is enough to power 3,500 average-sized homes.

This contract with Solar Systems continues an earlier relationship between the two companies. In April, Spectrolab and Solar Systems brought the world's first full-scale ultra high efficiency 35 kilowatt solar generator online in Australia. According to Boeing, the system created a new benchmark for solar concentrator systems both in system efficiency and cost, and showed promise for the future of renewable energy.