Semprius, Inc., an innovator in high concentration photovoltaic (HCPV) solar modules, will be supplying its state-of-the-art technology in support of Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne’s (PWR’s) $2.3 million award from the Environmental Security Technology Certification Program (ESTCP) office of the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD). The project is designed to demonstrate the high-performance and cost-effectiveness of HCPV technology for use at DoD installations as well as in other commercial and utility scale applications.

As part of the project, PWR will install a 200 kilowatt solar system at Edwards Air Force Base in California. The system will be comprised of 2,400 Semprius modules mounted on dual-axis trackers and will produce over 400,000 kWh of electricity annually, enough to power approximately 40 homes.

Semprius’ manufacturing facility, located in Henderson, North Carolina, uses a proprietary process to deliver the world’s highest efficiency solar modules. At 33.9 percent, Semprius’ modules are the first to convert over one-third of the sun’s energy into electricity. In addition, Semprius modules perform better than conventional modules under high temperature conditions, and in locations like the US Southwest, Semprius-based systems can deliver up to 30 percent more energy than equivalent PV systems.