LONDON — Solyndra Inc. (Fremont, Calif.), a developer of photovoltaic systems, has signed a long-term contract with solar integrator EbitschEnergieTechnik GmbH (Zapfendorf, Germany) worth up to $115 million.

The contract extends through 2013 and brings Solyndra's contractual backlog to approximately $1.8 billion. The solar panels for these contracts will be manufactured at Solyndra's facilities in Fremont and Milpitas, California.

Solyndra, founded in 2005, has been developing technology and ramping manufacturing capacity to produce its proprietary CIGS-based thin-film PV system. Solyndra's panels use cylindrical modules that capture sunlight across a 360-degree photovoltaic surface capable of converting direct, diffuse and reflected sunlight into electricity. This self-tracking design allows the PV systems to capture significantly more sunlight than traditional flat-surfaced solar panels, the company claims.

"Together with Solyndra's innovative PV systems, EbitschEnergieTechnik's strong presence in Germany and elsewhere in Europe should lead to world-class photovoltaic installations in the fastest growing markets for commercial-scale solar," said Kelly Truman, Solyndra's vice president of marketing, sales and business development, in a statement.

"Solyndra's solution dramatically changes the model for installation of PV systems, expanding the market by addressing large numbers of industrial rooftops which are not economically viable with other PV technologies," said Horst Ebitsch, founder and managing director of EbitschEnergieTechnik, in the same statement.

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