The agreement marks the first time the new TwinPeak Series product line has been selected for a major rooftop project. REC will begin shipping 3.5 MW of panels to TEP in May, with deliveries scheduled to conclude in October 2015.
The TEP Residential Solar Program will allow TEP customers to go solar with no upfront installation or maintenance costs. Contractors selected by TEP will install and maintain rooftop solar panels at participating customers’ homes, and TEP will provide their electric service for a flat monthly rate that will remain fixed for up to 25 years.
“Tucson Electric’s residential programme offers an innovative approach to making distributed solar generation part of the energy mainstream and aligns with REC’s commitment to the fast-growing U.S. residential solar sector” said Arndt E. Lutz, senior vice president of REC Group and managing director of its North American business. “TEP’s choice of REC’s new high-performance TwinPeak Series panels, which are well suited for Tucson’s high-desert climate, represents a strong vote of confidence in our products and our business approach.”
Carmine Tilghman, a TEP senior director who oversees the company's renewable energy programmes, added that the utility’s partnership with REC will enable it to continue providing a high level of reliability to customers while expanding the availability of rooftop solar in Southern Arizona.
The REC TwinPeak Series panels are rated up to 275 watt peak (Wp) and are designed for the full range of rooftop solar applications. The panel design incorporates 120 half-cut multicrystalline cells, four busbars, passivated emitter rear cell (PERC) technology, and a split junction box. This enhances panel reliability and performance, reduces heat build-up and resistive losses and increases light absorption, fill factor and efficiency.
As with all REC products, the panels are designed to be 100 percent free from potential induced degradation, thereby avoiding power losses in even the harshest environments.
The agreement with TEP is the latest in REC's successful run of panel supply agreements and installations in the US market, with more 706 MW of supply deals for the residential, commercial, and utility segments since May 2014.
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