New Jersey-based Petra Solar announced that it opened a new research and development facility in Amman, Jordan. The company said the new center shows that Petra is serious about expanding internationally and will allow it to better serve the needs of countries in the Middle East.

Already the company has one employee in the new research center said Petra spokesperson Mary Grikas.

“He’s located the building, and we’re in the process of hiring some engineers for that facility,” she said. “Right now we’re looking for Jordanian talent for the facility. We’re trying to coordinate jobs with the government. Jordan really is one of the technologically advanced countries in the Middle East, so they’re a great partner for a research and development center.“

Grikas explained that the Jordan facility will act as a hub for the Middle East as Petra seeks to expand its presence in the market there.

“The Middle East is very interested in renewable energy. Really across the board, they’re looking at sustainability and job creation as well,” she said.

Petra is developing distributed generation, grid-tied photovoltaic systems, including a unique, pole-mounted design with a photovoltaic panel attached to the grid and wirelessly networked to a central power station, according to Grikas.

“It’s very exciting,” she said. “It’s a virtual power plant, and it’s distributed generation, which helps with energy efficiency and distribution.”

The pole-mounted systems use a 220-watt photovoltaic panel tied directly into the grid onsite. The wireless module allows for control of the panels to help ensure grid reliability, according to Grikas. The pole-mounted systems are currently being installed in New Jersey.

“We’re currently deploying 40 megawatts with PSE&G, the largest utility in N.J.,” she said. The system is composed of about 200,000 pole mounts.

The first Petra systems installed in Jordan are likely to be pole-mounted. But elsewhere, Petra is testing roof-mounted systems.

“We have field trials ongoing throughout the U.S. and Canada,” said Grikas. In Australia, for instance, the company is testing a utility-scale, roof-mounted system.

Image courtesy of Petra Solar.