Petra Solar–a company developing grid-tied, pole-mounted, distributed solar generation systems–annonced a manufacturing agreement with Flextronics (NASDAQ: FLEX).
Flextronics is a global electronics manufacturing services provider that has recently acquired contracts with Q-Cells (QCE.DE) and SunPower (Nasdaq: SPWRA).
The companies did not announce the capacity level of the agreement, orwhere the solar panels will be made. But a press release said the deal is in keeping with Petra Solar’s commitment to create green jobs local to its customers.
Petra Solar’s SunWave is a distributed solar power generation and management system. Utilities that deploy SunWave on their poles generate solar power cost effectively and benefit from a smart grid communications system and grid reliability enhancement tools.
Last week, Tampa Electric Company (NYSE: TE) announced a pilot project to test Petra Solar’ systems. Petra Solar also has a US$200 million contract with New Jersey’s PSE&G (NYSE: PEG to install systems on 200,000 streetlight and utility poles.
The SunWave smart grid communications system provides three main functions. First, it monitors and reports on the operation and health of the SunWave units. This function consists of recording how much energy is generated and sending maintenance and repair alerts to the utility control center. Second, the communications system provides a tool for remote command and control of the SunWave units. A remote command can, for instance, enable the generation of reactive power, a feature that increases power efficiency and helps stabilize voltage levels on the power lines. Third, the communications system provides a backbone for other smart grid initiatives such as Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) and load management or demand response programs.
The SunWave technology also provides utilities with grid reliability tools. The systems constantly monitor and provide real time status updates on critical operating parameters such as voltage and frequency thereby enabling automatic power outage detection and faster response time.
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