SANYO CASE STUDY

April 23, 2010

Solar Case Study: SANYO Solar Panels Contribute to Net-Zero Energy Goal at Pringle Creek Community

Pringle Creek Community™ is one of the most sustainable communities in America, integrating green building, energy efficiency and respect for the natural environment. Pringle Creek Community utilizes innovative sustainable products and technologies in order to achieve its mission of developing a neighborhood that values community, green innovation and nature, and provides residents with an infrastructure and technologies to reduce their impact on the environment.

Solar energy continues to play an important role in Pringle Creek Community's building initiatives, and SANYO, the Solar Panelsmanufacturer of the HIT® Power Series solar panels utilized by Pringle Creek Community, has been an important partner in helping the community to achieve their sustainability goals.

With western Oregon's typically overcast winter days, it was important that Pringle Creek maximize production potential on the roof space of its community center by using the highest efficiency panels on the market. Utilizing SANYO's HIT® high efficiency panels was essential to achieving the goal of net-zero energy use in the retrofitted 1930s-era community center building. The 20.2kw system provides three times the energy required to be "net-zero," with excess generation powering the neighborhood's innovative ground-source district geothermal loop.

About the Pringle Creek Community™
Set on 32 mostly wooded acres in the heart of the beautiful Willamette Valley in Salem, Oregon, Pringle Creek Community leads the US in sustainable community building. Consisting of a mix of small-footprint, energy-efficient homes in a garden setting, the Community seeks a net-zero carbon impact on the environment.

Nationally recognized in the Urban Land Institute magazine and recipient of the 'National Association of Home Builders' inaugural "Green Land Development Award," Pringle Creek Community has received numerous awards and recognition for leadership in sustainable development, including "Green Development of the Year" from the National Association of Home Builders and the "Energy Value Housing Award" from NAHB Research Center.

At Pringle Creek Community, sustainable initiatives reflect a long-term commitment to the environment and economy. Technical innovations include a geothermal loop providing heating and cooling to more than 70 homes and commercial buildings, porous pavement streets and a 20.2 kilowatt solar panel array at its LEED Platinum community center.

Solar Panel 2A Solution to Solar Energy
With the challenge of limited winter sunlight in Salem, the Pringle Creek Community sought out the highest quality panels in order to combat the challenge of limited sunlight. The Pringle Creek Community turned to SANYO North America, the leading company for 'energy and environment', and its HIT Power® series of solar panels, to achieve its goals.

The HIT Power® series features SANYO's proprietary HIT® technology. The hybrid solar panels with uniquely structured cells are among the world's most powerful solar panels. New technological improvements, including higher conversion efficiency, less vulnerability to high temperatures and enhanced construction make the HIT Power® panels the most efficient panels in the solar market today.

"The Pringle Creek community center shows what's possible when you use all the options – solar, efficiency, day lighting, water collection, and ground-source heating and cooling, which all contribute to the creation of net-zero structures, " said Alan Hickenbottom, President of Tanner Creek Energy, one of Oregon's leading commercial photovoltaic (PV) installers specializing in maximizing environmental and financial benefits from solar technology. "The highly efficient SANYO module is the perfect solution for those with limited roof space."

The Results
The SANYO solar panel system in Pringle Creek Community™  is currently generating approximately 21,000 kWh/yr. Forcasted to pay for itself in five years, the system is a key component of reducing long-term operational costs and a vital element in reducing the community's impact on the environment. "This is what it's all about," said Hickenbottom. "Integrating the highly efficient SANYO modules with an equally efficient building shows that net-zero buildings, even using older structures, are a real possibility." SANYO's HIT® and HIT® Double solar panels lead the world in sunlight conversion efficiency, helping customers to enjoy the maximum power generation per installed square foot. The HIT® solar cells developed by SANYO are hybrid solar cells composed of single crystalline silicon wafers surrounded by ultra-thin amorphous silicon layers.

"SANYO respects the mission and objectives of the Pringle Creek Community of achieving a net-zero impact on the environment, and because it embodies what we have envisioned for these types of products, this is an effective and crucial partnership," said Aaron Fowles, Corporate Communications Specialist for SANYO North America.

In May 2009, SANYO developed the world's highest energy conversion efficiency in its practical size (100 cm2 or more) crystalline silicon-type solar cells, achieving an efficiency of 23.0 percent (previously 22.3 percent) at a research level for its proprietary HIT® solar photovoltaic cells.

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SANYO Goes Solar in Salem, Oregon
SANYO Solar of Oregon, LLC has built a new manufacturing facility in Salem, Oregon. Located in the Salem Renewable Energy and Technology Center, the 130,000 square foot plant will manufacture silicon ingot and solar wafers. The facility opened in November, 2009 and will provide a minimum of 200 family wage jobs.
The Salem Renewable Energy and Technology Center is an 80-acre site designed to attract companies involved in renewable energy research, production, and related services to Salem and the region.
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