Watch CBS News

Uni-Solar Powering UN Climate Change Conference

Rochester Hills-based United Solar, a subsidiary of Energy Conversion Devices Inc. (Nasdaq: ENER), announced the completion and operation of a solar power project on the rooftop of the Moon Palace Hotel in Cancun, Mexico, host site for the United Nations Climate Change Conference.

This important global event will attract about 20,000 participants from nations around the world. They will gather in Cancun Nov. 29 - Dec. 10, with the objective of discussing future commitments to reduce global greenhouse gas emissions.

The photovoltaic project team for the Moon Palace Hotel was led by Enel Green Power, one of the leading renewable energy operators worldwide, with support also from the Italian Ministry of the Environment and Semarnat, the Mexican Environment Ministry.

"Being selected as the solar power provider of choice for this high-level and important global conference location is a testament to the quality and unique characteristics of Uni-Solarc modules," said Mark Morelli, president and CEO of ECD. "We believe that solar power will continue to play an important role in addressing global climate change."

The 130-kilowatt pilot project at the Moon Palace Hotel is capable of generating 220 megawatt-hours of electricity per year, contributing to a reduction of 110 tons of CO2 emissions annually. Enel Green Power chose Uni-Solar due to its proprietary thin-film lightweight characteristics, which stand up to the severe weather often found in the Gulf of Mexico region.

United Solar and Enel Green Power have cooperated on numerous projects, including the world's largest rooftop photovoltaic power plant at the Interporto distribution center in Nola, Italy. This 25-megawatt project on various buildings is currently being installed by United Solar's channel partners General Membrane and Ondulit. Another project between United Solar and Enel Green Power is the 4-megawatt installation on the Marcegaglia factory in Taranto, Italy.

More at www.energyconversiondevices.com.

(c) 2010, WWJ Newsradio 950. All rights reserved.

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.