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BP Solar

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BP Solar
Company typeSubsidiary
IndustrySolar energy
Founded1981 (1981)
FounderPhilip Wolfe
Defunct21 December 2011 (2011-12-21)
Headquarters
Madrid
,
Spain
Area served
Worldwide
Key people
Reyad Fezzani (CEO)
ParentBP
SubsidiariesTata BP Solar
Websitewww.bpsolar.com

BP Solar was a manufacturer and installer of photovoltaic solar cells headquartered in Madrid, Spain, with production facilities in Frederick, MD, India and the People's Republic of China.[1][2] It was a subsidiary of BP.

History

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In 1981, BP acquired initially 50% of Lucas Energy Systems which became Lucas BP Solar Systems.[3] The company became wholly owned by BP in the mid-1980s.[4] When BP merged with Amoco in 1998 it acquired Amoco's 50% stake in Solarex.[5] In 1999 it acquired Enron's stake in Solarex and consolidated its PV divisions into a new subsidiary named BP Solarex.[6] In that year the company became the world's leading PV producer.[7] In 2001 the division renamed itself BP Solar.[8]

BP Solar and Indian firm Tata Power established Tata BP Solar, a joint venture company, in 1989.[9] The company began commercial operations in 1991 by establishing its first manufacturing unit with a production capacity of 3 MW in India.[10][9] BP Solar exited the joint venture in 2012, and Tata BP Solar became a wholly owned subsidiary of the Tata Group.[11]

In 2004, the R&D part of BP Solar was sold to the UK's National Renewable Energy Centre (Narec). In 2013, it became Solar Capture Technologies.[12] In 2010, it closed down the factory at Frederick, Maryland.[13] BP Solar closed on 21 December 2011 when BP announced its departure from the solar energy business.[14][15]

Operations

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PV power plants using BP solar modules include:

BP Solar had many projects and co-operative activities in developing countries, including supplying power to 36,000 homes in rural Indonesia, installing 1000 solar devices to provide power to 400 remote villages in the Philippines, and setting up a rural electrification scheme in Malaysia to provide power to 30,000 remote homes in Sabah, Sarawak and Peninsular Malaysia.[17] In the mid-1980s BP installed Solar power for Microwave repeater stations across Sierra Leone in support of a telecommunications network restoration.[citation needed]

BP Solar (with the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation — CSIRO) was also involved in the commercialization of a long-life deep cycle lead acid battery, which is well suited to the storage of electricity for renewable remote area power systems (RAPS). This GreenGel battery, and CSIRO's new battery charging procedures, will reduce capacity loss and premature failure sometimes encountered with existing battery technology. A significant component of the project will be the establishment of an innovative manufacturing process to enable the production of these advanced batteries at an internationally competitive price, facilitating a major export market.[18]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Solar Power Profitability: BP Solar". Archived from the original on 2009-03-28. Retrieved 2008-08-18.
  2. ^ Hoovers
  3. ^ "BP and Lucas form solar company". Electronics and Power. March 1981. doi:10.1049/ep.1981.0091.
  4. ^ "The Long Island Solar Farm" (PDF). US Dept. of Energy. 2013.
  5. ^ "BP Solarex Becomes World's Largest PV Manufacturer". BuildingGreen. 1 May 1999. Retrieved 27 June 2024.
  6. ^ "Company news; BP Amoco plans to buy remaining 50% stake in Solarex". Dow Jones. 7 April 1999. Retrieved 13 March 2019.
  7. ^ Wolfe, Philip (2018). The Solar Generation. Wiley - IEEE. p. 207. ISBN 9781119425588.
  8. ^ Shepard, Jeff (1 May 1999). "BP Solarex To Become BP Solar". EEPower. EETech Group. Retrieved 27 June 2024.
  9. ^ a b "HISTORY & MILESTONES". Tata Power Solar. Retrieved 9 March 2017.
  10. ^ "Tata Power Solar Is First Indian Company To Ship 1 Gigawatt Of Solar Modules". CleanTechnica. March 2017. Retrieved 9 March 2017.
  11. ^ "Tata BP Solar India Limited renamed as Tata Power Solar Systems Limited – a new beginning for India's pioneering solar company!" (Press release). Tata Power Solar. 31 August 2012. Retrieved 27 June 2024.
  12. ^ "Solar Capture Technologies launched". Archived from the original on 2015-01-30. Retrieved 2013-05-07.
  13. ^ Mulliken, Bruce. "Solarex fades away". Archived from the original on 26 July 2013. Retrieved 15 March 2013.
  14. ^ Bergin, Tom; Young, Sarah (21 December 2011). "BP turns out lights at solar business". Reuters. Retrieved 21 December 2011.
  15. ^ "BP to Close Its Solar Business after 40 Years". Business Green. Archived from the original on 27 June 2024. Retrieved 26 February 2024.
  16. ^ "BP invests $220 million in U.S. solar projects". Reuters. 2021-06-01. Retrieved 2023-06-14.
  17. ^ Liang, Tian (2016). "Rural Electrification in East Malaysia : Achieving optimal power generation system and sustainability of rural electrification projects". S2CID 114219956. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  18. ^ Renewable Energy Commercialisation Programme Archived 2007-02-20 at the Wayback Machine
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