Photovoltaic solar concentrator system developer, Energy Innovations, has revealed that, having completed its acquisition, it is to change the name of its newly acquired San Francisco Bay area solar power systems integrator, Prevalent Power, to EI Solutions.
Prevalent Power’s CEO, Arno Harris, will become general manager of the new company. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
In addition to its current business developing traditional flat-panel PV solar projects, the EI Solutions engineering and sales team will manage the initial sales and installations of Energy Innovations’ new potentially revolutionary rooftop solar system, called the Sunflower.
Each Sunflower module is composed of an array of mirrors that track the sun throughout the day and year, concentrating its light onto a small panel of PV cells that generate electricity. By replacing large amounts of very expensive, silicon-based PV cells with inexpensive mirrors, Energy Innovations expects to drive down the cost of solar electricity by half or more.
The company is currently testing the Sunflower on its own roof in Pasadena and will be rolling out additional test units to sites in different climate zones in the spring. Pending Underwriters Laboratory certification later this year, EI Solutions plans to begin installing Sunflower systems on customer rooftops in the fourth quarter.
Arno and his team are among the most highly regarded solar power system integrators in California, and they bring enormously valuable hands-on experience to our company, said Andrew Beebe, president of Energy Innovations. They bring together the engineering, construction, capital financing, and project management skills needed to deliver today’s large-scale grid-tied renewable energy systems on time and on budget.