United Solar Ovonic to supply PV laminates to Enfinity

Auburn Hills, Mich.-based United Solar Ovonic announced today that it signed a multi-year deal to supply Belgium's Enfinity Management with thin-film laminates.

Under the agreement, United Solar will supply 21.15 megawatts of its photovoltaic laminates to Enfinity through 2009.

United Solar plans to ship 1.15 MW to Enfinity this year, and 10 MW in each of the calendar years 2008 and 2009.

Enfinity plans to use the flexible solar cells for roof-top installations in Europe.

"The Uni-Solar product is uniquely suited for roof-top applications because it is lightweight, provides superior electricity generation and integrates directly into the roof structure," said Gino Van Neer, CEO of Enfinity.

Enfinity, which has raised private equity funds for photovoltaic projects in Europe, has already financed PV projects with a total capacity of more than 30 MW and plans to finance several hundred megawatts through 2010.

Unlike traditional crystalline technology, which typically use glass panels, United Solar said its products are flexible, lightweight and easy to install.

United Solar is a unit of Michigan's Energy Conversion Devices (Nasdaq: ENER).

Energy Conversion makes rechargeable batteries through a joint venture with Chevron to power consumer electronics and electric vehicles, and licenses its optical memory storage technology to Sony, Toshiba, and others.

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