Epuron Chooses SunPower To Expand Uterne Solar Power Plant

(RTTNews) - Epuron and SunPower Corp. (SPWR) said they have partnered to expand the size of the Uterne solar power plant, bringing clean energy to approximately 1,000 Alice Springs homes each year when the plant is expected to be completed in 2015. Financing from the Clean Energy Finance Corporation or CEFC will fund the expansion, increasing the size of Uterne from 1 megawatt to 4.1 megawatts.

SunPower said it has been contracted to design and build the 3.1-megawatt expansion of Uterne with high-efficiency SunPower solar panels mounted on SunPower T0 Trackers, which position panels to follow the sun throughout the day, increasing energy production while minimizing land use.

The additional 3.1 megawatts of T0 Trackers will be installed on 3 hectares, adjacent to the 1-megawatt solar power plant, which features SunPower T20 Trackers currently installed and operating on 3 hectares.

The company said CEFC is providing a $13 million loan to Epuron for Uterne's expansion, which uses a financing structure that is rare for deals of this size. It is expected to drive down transaction costs and help make projects like this more attractive to commercial financing institutions.

It is noted that Epuron acquired the initial 1-megawatt Uterne in October 2012 from SunPower after SunPower developed and constructed the solar power plant. SunPower has had a footprint in Australia since 2008, designing and installing systems for utility and commercial customers like Horizon Power, Watershed Premium Wines and Perth Zoo, as well as residential customers across the country.