New Requirements for Sustainable Housing in UK Represent Significant Market Opportunity for Solar Energy Systems
WUXI, China, June 15 /Xinhua-PRNewswire/ -- Suntech Power Holdings Co., Ltd. (NYSE: STP), one of the world's leading manufacturers of photovoltaic (PV) cells and modules, today announced the demonstration of its MSK Building Integrated Photovoltaic (BIPV) system at the OffSite exhibition at the UK Building Research Establishment. The installation is part of Kingspan Off-Site's innovative "Lighthouse" net-zero carbon home, which is the first house design to achieve the British government's Code for Sustainable Homes Level 6.
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The "Lighthouse" was developed by Kingspan Off-Site in conjunction with multiple partner companies and is the first house to co-generate sufficient electrical power to meet the new sustainable home requirements. By 2016, all new homes built in the UK will be required to be designed and constructed to meet the Code for Sustainable Homes Level 6. It is expected that 200,000 new homes will be built annually in the UK by 2016.
"Suntech is very pleased to have collaborated with the Kingspan Off-site team, Sheppard Robson architects and Arup consultants to create this high performance solution," said Jerry Stokes, President of Suntech Europe. "Visitors to Off-Site 2007 have been impressed with the excellent integration of the Just Roof PV modules into the building design where the modules function as both an electrical energy generator and the weatherproof roof of the building. This solution offsets some of the building cost as well as providing the annual power requirements for the house."
The project incorporated 57 MSK Just Roof BIPV modules, which replace conventional roofing panels. MSK Corporation is a wholly owned subsidiary of Suntech with over 20 years of experience in the BIPV space. MSK has completed over 5,000 BIPV system installations in factory manufactured houses similar to the "Lighthouse". The off-site manufacturing of the majority of building components ensures that a new home can be assembled on-site extremely quickly -- significantly reducing the time from building approval to finished construction.
"Kingspan Off-Site is extremely proud to be the first company to have been certified to the UK government Level 6 Code for Sustainable Homes," said Gilbert McCarthy Managing Director of Kingspan Off-Site. "With the rapid developments in solar PV technology, which offer improved performance and lower cost, we expect to see tremendous opportunities to develop our business with Suntech. MSK's Just Roof BIPV solar modules were a key component in our gaining this prestigious certification."
Dr. Zhengrong Shi, Suntech's Chairman and CEO, commented on the BIPV installation: "This project is an example of how modern building design and solar energy systems can combine to create a sustainable, zero-carbon solution. We are working with governments worldwide to encourage adoption of this technology as one practical way to reduce carbon emissions."
About Kingspan Off-Site
Kingspan Off-Site is Europe's leading manufacturer and innovator of modern methods of construction, providing high performance solutions to the private and affordable housebuilding and commercial sectors, as well as the public sector. The company uses the latest in off-site manufacturing techniques to produce complete building systems for a broad range of applications at its UK and European facilities.
About Suntech
Suntech Power Holdings Co., Ltd. is a leading solar energy company in the world as measured by both production output and capacity of solar cells and modules. Suntech provides solar solutions for a green future. Suntech designs, develops, manufactures, and markets a variety of high quality, cost effective and environmentally friendly PV cells and modules for electric power applications in the residential, commercial, industrial, and public utility sectors. Suntech's majority-owned subsidiary, MSK Corporation is one of the top-ranked companies in the building-integrated photovoltaics (BIPV) space. Suntech's customers are located in various markets worldwide, including key markets throughout Europe, North America, Japan and China. For more information, please visit http://www.suntech-power.com .
Safe Harbor Statement
This press release contains forward-looking statements. These statements constitute “forward-looking” statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and as defined in the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements can be identified by terminology such as “will,” “expects,” “anticipates,” “future,” “intends,” “plans,” “believes,” “estimates” and similar statements. Among other things, Suntech's expectations with respect the BIPV market above contain forward-looking statements. Such statements involve certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. Further information regarding these and other risks is included in Suntech's filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, including its annual report on Form 20-F. Suntech does not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statement as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required under applicable law.
For more information, please contact:
In Europe:
Jerry Stokes
President Suntech Europe
Tel: +44-208-582-0393
Email: jerry.stokes@suntecheurope.com
For further information or to request photos of the Lighthouse, please contact:
In the United States:
Sanjay M. Hurry
Vice President
The Piacente Group, Inc.
Tel: +1-212-481-2050
Email: STPrequest@tpg-ir.com
In China:
Rory Macpherson
Ogilvy Public Relations Worldwide
Tel: +86-10-8520-6553
Email: rory.macpherson@ogilvy.com
