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Kyocera Solar

Solar Modules in Neighboring Tijuana, Mexico

Solar plant will quadruple Kyocera's solar manufacturing capacity in Tijuana

Scheduled for completion in mid- 2008, construction of a second manufacturing facility for solar photovoltaic modules in the Tijuana Industrial Park will consist of a two-story plant encompassing 223,000 square feet of production space, plus a 28,000-square-foot facility extension connecting the new factory to an existing Kyocera plant. When fully operational, the additions will more than quadruple Kyocera’s production capacity for solar modules in Tijuana – from a current capacity of 35 megawatts (MW) per year to 150MW by the end of March 2011.

The additions are part of a four-year plan to expand Kyocera’s global manufacturing capacity for solar modules, which are produced in Mexico, the Czech Republic, China and Japan. By the end of March 2011, these four sites will possess combined annual capacity to produce 500 megawatts (MW) of solar modules -- enough to create 3.5-kilowatt solar-electric generating systems for 142,000 homes per year. The company will invest an estimated 30 billion yen (about $250 million) in plant and equipment during the course of the expansion effort, both at these module manufacturing sites and at its solar cell production center in Yohkaichi, Japan.  

Kyocera Unleashing "Power of the Sun" for Parking Facilities

Solar Trees™ Convert Parking Lot into 235-Kilowatt Solar Electric Generating System

The Solar Grove serves as a symbol of Kyocera's goal to make the San Diego/Tijuana region an important hub in North America’s solar energy industry. Its unique concept models the life process of natural trees by converting sunlight into energy without adding carbon dioxide or other greenhouse gases to the atmosphere -- while providing structures that are both shade-producing and aesthetically pleasing.  Kyocera’s first-ever Solar Grove – an array of 25 "solar trees" that converts a 186-vehicle parking lot into a 235-kilowatt solar electric generating system at its North American headquarters and Kearny Mesa plant, located at 8611 Balboa Avenue in San Diego.

The system's 25 "solar trees" form a carport in an employee parking lot, utilizing a total of 1,400 Kyocera KC-187G solar photovoltaic (PV) modules and 200 custom-manufactured, light-filtering PV modules. The system’s capacity of 235 kilowatts* -- capable of generating 421,000 kilowatt hours per year -- will be equivalent to the electrical needs of 68 typical San Diego homes.**  According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Power Profiler, generating this amount of electricity through conventional fossil fuel resources would annually release 338,905 pounds of carbon dioxide, a suspected contributor to global warming; 421 pounds of nitrous oxide, which has been linked to the destruction of the Earth’s ozone layer; and 253 pounds of sulfur dioxide, the principal contributor to acid rain.

The economic viability of this project is supported by the California Public Utilities Commission’s “Self Generation Incentive Program,” which will cover approximately 36% of the system’s purchase and installation costs; as well as federal and state tax credits, and a five-year accelerated depreciation schedule. The standard Kyocera solar modules used in the Solar Grove are covered by a 25-year manufacturer’s warranty, and Kyocera anticipates that the Solar Grove will pay for itself within 12 years.

Kyocera Solar, Inc. (http://www.kyocerasolar.com) is a world-leading supplier of environmentally sound, solar electric energy solutions. The company is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Kyocera International, Inc. of San Diego, California the North American headquarters and holding company for Kyoto, Japan-based Kyocera Corporation.