Sharp(R) to Supply Thin Film Solar Panels for Multi-Megawatt Solar Power Project in Canada


TORONTO--(Marketwire - October 14, 2010) -  Sharp Electronics Corporation, the U.S. subsidiary of Sharp Corporation, a world leader in solar electricity, today announced that it will supply its industry-leading tandem junction thin film solar panels for an 18.5 megawatt (MW) DC solar deployment in Ontario, Canada. The solar deployment, which is being developed under a joint venture between SunEdison, a subsidiary of MEMC Electronic Materials, Inc. (NYSE: WFR), and SkyPower Limited, is comprised of two solar parks, SunE Sky Norfolk I and II. Construction began in March of 2010 and is expected to be completed this fall.

The 18.5 MW solar deployment is located on two sites in Norfolk County, Ontario, in Port Dover and Simcoe. 

Once online, the power produced by the Norfolk plant will be purchased and delivered to Ontario residents and businesses by the Ontario Power Authority. The Sharp thin film solar panels utilized for the project feature Sharp's tandem-junction design that captures a wider part of the solar spectrum. The panels were manufactured at Sharp's thin film solar plants including the solar cell plant in Sakai City, Osaka Prefecture, Japan, one of the greenest manufacturing sites in the world.

"We're pleased to be using Sharp products to deliver renewable energy in Canada," said Jason Gray, VP and Country Manager for SunEdison Canada. "As North America's largest solar energy service provider, SunEdison is committed to leading the charge in solar deployments throughout Canada."

"We welcomed the opportunity to deploy Sharp's impressive technology in the SunE Sky Norfolk solar projects." said, Kerry Adler, President and Chief Executive Officer for SkyPower Limited. "As one of Canada's leading owners and developers of solar parks, with over 1.4 GW in our solar pipeline we look forward to many more projects like these."

"We're proud to work with SunEdison and SkyPower to help bring more clean, renewable energy to the people of Canada through this landmark project," said Eric Hafter, Senior Vice President, Sharp Solar Energy Solutions Group. "We applaud the Ontario Power Authority for translating government's clean energy policy into tangible results for the people of Ontario." 

About Sharp
Sharp Solar Energy Solutions Group, based in Huntington Beach, California, is a division of Sharp Electronics Corporation, the U.S. subsidiary of Sharp Corporation, Osaka, Japan. Sharp is a world market leader in solar cell production, and offers modules for residential, commercial, and utility applications.

Since its founding in 1912, Sharp Corporation has developed numerous world-first and Japan-first products, including the first Japan-made radios, TVs, and the world's first all-transistor/diode desktop calculator. Sharp has contributed to society by commercializing these unique products.

Today, in addition to its core LCD TV business, Sharp is also focusing on its solar cell business. It has been more than 50 years since Sharp first started researching solar cells. Over this long period of time, solar cells made by Sharp have been used not only in residential and industrial applications, but also on lighthouses and satellites, thus proving their long-term reliability. Sharp constructed one of the world's largest solar cell production facilities for thin-film solar cells at Sakai City in Osaka Prefecture, which started mass production in March 2010.

Sharp Corporation employs 64,600 people worldwide (as of August 31, 2010), and recorded consolidated annual sales of 2,755,948 million yen for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2010. 

For more information, please visit Sharp's Web site at http://sharp-world.com/index.html. Find us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter and watch us on YouTube.

Sharp is a registered trademark of Sharp Corporation.

Contact Information:

CONTACT:
Regan Daniels
Crenshaw Communications
650-728-807
regan@crenshawcomm.com

Chris Loncto
Sharp Electronics Corporation
201-529-8680
lonctoc@sharpsec.com