U.S. RESEARCH PROJECT: DEGER SUPPLIES MLD (MAXIMUM LIGHT DETECTION) SOLAR TRACKING SYSTEMS FOR U.S. RESEARCH FACILITY IN OAK RIDGE, TENNESSEE

In cooperation with its partner company vis solis, DEGER has supplied seven 6000NT type DEGERtraker tracking systems with MLD* technology to Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). The systems were already installed in December and will soon be connected to the grid. The plant itself was initiated and installed by vis solis, which will operate it as well.

According to Adam Jan Glapiak, Area Sales Manager at DEGERenergie for the North American market: “MLD technology ‘made in Germany’ attracts attention here and it enjoys an excellent reputation among American experts.” It is no coincidence that Oak Ridge already represents the third DEGER project in Tennessee within the space of just one year. It too has been realized within the scope of the TVA Renewable Energy Program.

The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) is a federally owned corporation that supplies nine million people with electricity in seven states in the Southeast of the USA. TVA operates without tax funding and, among other things, provides support to public facilities as well as state and local governments in their economic development.

Research and advanced training project

Decades ago uranium was enriched in Oak Ridge. The new DEGER systems are located above the pits formerly used for this purpose. “As of April 2013 green energy will be produced on these historic and contaminated premises with the help of DEGER,” notes Adam Jan Glapiak.

Among other things, the seven DEGERtrackers will be used for advanced education for students who receive additional training at the local community college in order to become specialists in matters related to solar energy. An initial workshop that will familiarize them with the principles behind MLD will take place already in April of this year.

Furthermore, the German systems will be integrated into research work involving the technology of tracking systems, solar modules and inverters. In addition, scientists at Oak Ridge plan to conduct comparative measurements between the MLD tracking systems from DEGER and fixed installations. These will provide knowledge about the efficiency of both types of systems.

“From nuclear to solar in Oak Ridge – our modest contribution to the announced change in energy policy in the U.S.,” explains Carlos Mayer, acting partner at vis solis. “After President Obama expressly professed his commitment to the development of renewable energies in his inaugural speech for his second term of office, and staked America’s future claim to leadership in this field, we are now taking advantage of this incentive in order to grow in the American market,” Carlos Mayer goes on to say.

Top address for energy and environmental matters

The United States established the research and development facility in Oak Ridge in 1943 with the aim of enriching uranium for the Manhattan Project. Under this code name at the time the U.S. advanced the building of the atomic bomb. Over the years the laboratory developed into the top address for national energy and environmental matters. Today it is an established institution for the development of new energy sources, technologies and materials. Moreover, scientists at Oak Ridge also conduct, among other things, research in the area of environmental sciences.

The stated aim of their work is to strengthen the lead of the United States in core scientific fields, to guarantee the availability of sufficiently clean energy, to protect and/or restore the environment and to contribute to national security.

DEGER is world’s market leader for solar tracking systems. More than 50,000 DEGERenergie systems are installed in 51 countries worldwide. The company is represented with its own branch offices in Spain, Greece and North America and cooperates with local sales and service partners in numerous countries throughout the world. The MLD technology patented by DEGERenergie makes it possible to achieve a 45 percent greater yield on the average with solar plants than in the case of fixed systems.

For more information: www.DEGER.biz.

* MLD = Maximum Light Detection

Note to the editor:
Image material is available here at the end of the press release for downloading. Of course, printable material is also available on request from Mr. Herbert Grab, Tel.: +49 (0) 7127-5707-10, e-mail: herbert.grab@digitmedia-online.de.

About vis solis (www.vis-solis.us:
vis solis GmbH (vis solis) was established as a joint venture between EnoRS GmbH of Neubrandenburg in Germany – which specialized in the planning of photovoltaic systems – and the management consulting company CASAMA GmbH in Diez which focused on regenerative energies. solmotion GmbH in Ravensburg became a further partner at the end of the year 2011. The respective acting managing directors have worked in the industry for renewable energies for many years.
vis solis functions as a general contractor General Contractor when it comes to realizing planned and/or ready to build photovoltaic projects. Within this scope the company takes over complete responsibility for advance performance for building projects and provides for purchasing, execution planning and turnkey construction for the owners. In addition vis solis provides all of the required planning services and coordinates all of the trades and building supervision. In doing so the company contracts essential services to subcontractors, yet with respect to the owners it takes charge of all of the services related to construction of the specific photovoltaic plant so that the customer only needs to contact a single party.
Apart from the Oak Ridge project, a total of ten megawatts in solar output have already been installed and operated in various states in the U.S. through vis solis Inc. in Franklin, Tennessee – the subsidiary established by the company in the U.S. in August 2010.

About the dena Solar Roof Program (www.dena.de):
This project is part of the worldwide “dena Solar Roof Program” coordinated by Deutsche Energie-Agentur GmbH (dena) – the German Energy Agency – and co-financed by the German Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology (BMWi) within the initiative „renewables – Made in Germany“.
The German Energy Agency (dena) is the center of excellence for energy efficiency, renewable energy sources and intelligent energy systems. dena’s aim is to have generated and used as efficiently, safely and economically as possible with the least possible impact on the environment – on both a national and international scale. To this end dena cooperates with stakeholders from the spheres of politics and business and society at large. Shareholders in dena are the Federal Republic of Germany, KfW Bankengruppe, Allianz SE, Deutsche Bank AG and DZ BANK AG.
The initiative “renewables – Made in Germany” was launched by the German Parliament in 2002 and is run by the Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology. The main objective is to contribute to climate protection by stimulating the acceptance and use of renewable energy around the world. By showcasing Germany’s technical expertise in the field of renewable energy and by organizing business trips to and from Germany, the export initiative facilitates business contacts between companies in Germany and abroad. The platform www.renewables-made-in-germany.com provides information about German renewable energy technologies and contact data of German suppliers.
With the dena Solar Roof Program which was initiated in 2004, the German Energy Agency (dena) provides support to solar companies when it comes to developing markets. In attractive target countries solar-thermal, photovoltaic and solar cooling systems are installed on representative structures in a manner that promotes high public and advertising appeal, underscored by activities in the areas of public relations, marketing and training. These “lighthouse projects” subsidized by the German Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology (BMWi) within the scope of the Renewable Energies Export Initiative aim to demonstrate the quality of German products in the area of renewable energies while facilitating the move toward sustained development of new markets for participating enterprises (www.exportinitiative.de/solardachprogramm).

About DEGER (www.DEGER.biz):
DEGER is the leading manufacturer with the world’s largest product portfolio for single and dual axis solar tracking systems. Its market position is based on the unique, patented “Maximum Light Detection” or MLD technology developed by Artur Deger. This technology makes it possible to increase the yield of solar power plants through the use of “intelligent” control. In this case the MLD sensor constantly aligns the connected solar modules with the point in the sky that provides the greatest energy. Thus solar systems guided with MLD achieve a 45 percent greater yield on average than fixed systems – during peak periods this value is even considerably higher. With more than 50,000 systems installed in 51 countries, DEGER is world’s market and technology leader. The company offers every solution relevant to the product – from development and planning to production and sales, all the way through to maintenance and repair.
Nearly 400 employees currently work for DEGER at the company’s headquarters in Horb, its branch offices and suppliers. The company was founded in 1999 and in 2001 it was distinguished with the Baden-Württemberg Inventors Award for the MLD sensor. In 2005 DEGER opened its first branch office in Spain, in 2009 branch offices followed in the USA and Greece, and in summer 2011 production began in Australia. DEGER produces in Germany, Australia, Canada and in the USA. The company’s business is managed by Artur Deger.

You can’t always rely on the weather. But you can rely on a tracking system from DEGER.

Customer Contact:
DEGERenergie GmbH
Industriestraße 70
72160 Horb
Tel.: +49 (0) 7451-539 14-0
Fax: +49 (0) 7451-539 14-10
Mail: sales@DEGERenergie.com

Press Contact:
Herbert Grab
digit media
Schulberg 5
D-72124 Pliezhausen
Tel.: +49 (0) 7127-5707-10
Mail: herbert.grab@digitmedia-online.de