For as long as there has been a global wind industry, Husum, a town on Germany’s North Sea coast between Hamburg and the Danish border, has been the venue for its leading trade fair. Yet Husum was showing the latest developments in wind turbine technology long before the industry went global… Technology, innovation, training, and… Read more »
The size of both turbines and wind farms have increased exponentially in recent months thanks to a potent mix of technical improvements, legislation, subsidies and public awareness. Naturally, everyone’s got an opinion on the supersizing of the wind industry… “There is a wonderful race on. It’s very tight and the prize is domination of the… Read more »
High costs of welcoming Hungary to the fold The time taken to connect wind farms to the grid, and the high costs of doing so, are the main barriers to wind energy development in Hungary, it has been revealed in Budapest at a workshop organised by the European Wind Energy Association (EWEA) and the Hungarian… Read more »
18.4% cell efficiency achieved in back-contacted crystalline silicon cells 10% conversion efficiency in thin film silicon modules for utility scale applications –Factory automation systems boost solar manufacturing productivity Applied Materials, Inc., the world’s largest equipment supplier to the solar photovoltaic (PV) industry, will highlight its latest technology advances in PV at the 25th European Solar… Read more »
Despite a buoyant European offshore wind market, offshore construction & installation contractors that fall short of budget and technology challenges risk falling by the wayside. Utility scale developers at the forefront will be seeking out only companies capable of providing and meeting the necessary challenges imposed on the industry today. With a total of 2,396… Read more »
Sputnik Engineering AG is expanding: Starting in the fourth quarter of 2010 the Swiss company will be supplying the UK with its solar inverters. “The UK has ambitious goals. Our portfolio matches the individual market segments perfectly and we are looking forward to being a major player in this dynamic business,” is the reasoning behind… Read more »
PES last spoke to Robert Bürkle GmbH’s Managing Director in 2008, when Hans-Joachim Bender was bullish about the company’s future prospects. Indeed, he said: “Bürkle orientates itself on the known forecasts for developments in the photovoltaic industry. This has resulted in a strategy that is valid until the year 2012, and during this time the… Read more »
Upsolar is a global company, specialising in the design, engineering and manfacture of solar photovoltaic modules. It adheres to a policy of strict quality control in its manufacturing process to provide itsworldwide customers with reliable, excellent products for all residential and commercial projects. Here PES speaks to Adrien Pellarin the company’s Technical Support Manager …… Read more »
Family-owned Watlow was founded in 1922 and holds more than 50 patents, employing 2,000 employees, working in 11 manufacturing facilities in the US, Mexico, Europe and Asia. The company has sales offices in 14 countries around the world and a global distributor network. Jake Lindley is a senior engineer at the company, where he specialises… Read more »
As Director of Sales and Marketing of the Optical Sensor Systems Group forCarl Zeiss MicroImaging GmbH, Jürgen Gobel is at the beating heart of the PV industry. Having witnessed several revolutionary changes, he’s upbeat about the future of the industry and the technical progress his company continues to make. Welcome back to PES. How has… Read more »
For more than 50 years, Italian-based Bottero has been a world leader in every sector of the glass industry including hollow glass, special engineering, flat laminated and monolithic glass. The company offers a wide range of reliable products thanks to its policy of continuous investment in research and development … Back in the 1970s when… Read more »
In 2001, Canadian Solar began with the vision of helping to create a clean, sustainable energy future through solar power. With advanced technology and superior manufacturing capabilities, the company brings higher quality and better value to the marketplace. It is Canadian Solar’s commitment to develop socially responsible, sustainable and innovative practices in every part of… Read more »
US-based Emerson is poised to unleash a ground-breaking transformerless central inverter system for utility scale photovoltaic power plants. The Missouri company says this is set to maximise investor returns through optimised availability, efficiency and yield …. Control Techniques’ SPV is constructed using 145kWp, 176kWp and multiple 176kWp parallel connected inverter modules to produce any desired… Read more »
Thomas Rossmann, Sales Director Photovoltaic Solar TechnologyGrenzebach Maschinenbau GmbH Grenzebach is a corporation with six plants in three continents, more than 1,500 staff and a global customer base. The German-based company is a leading manufacturer of line and equipment for the production of flat and float glass, front- and back ends for thin film lines… Read more »
Sustainability is at the heart of how business is carried out at Sovello, the German-based company, Romy Haase-Dotschko their spokesman says. Now one of the world’s largest module manufactures, their STRING RIBBON wafers are produced through an economically and ecologically-balanced production process. “That’s how we preserve our environment over the long term,” he adds …… Read more »
While Spain seems to get all the publicity and all the plaudits from the European PV industry, Portugal’s efforts to establish a thriving solar future seem to be very much in the shadow of its big next-door neighbour. Even though the country has one of the highest solar irradiations available in Europe and has a… Read more »
‘Triple Green’ is the new motto in photovoltaics: the drive to produce modules that generate clean energy, that are recycled and – what’s more – ecologically produced. It’s an effective way for the solar industry to further boost its image and sustainably cut costs. However, this perfect triad is difficult to implement because “green factories”… Read more »
A progressive process that has nevertheless been utilised in other industries for several years, Print-on-Print involves the printing of one conductor grid directly on top of a previously printed and dried grid. PES asked acknowledged pioneers DEK for an in-depth explanation of this revolutionary procedure. A simple Internet search will reveal that the photovoltaics industry… Read more »
The recently-published European Photovoltaics Industry Association (EPIA) Global Market Outlook for Photovoltaics from 2010 to 2014 is a key publication for the PV sector. Here PES publishes an exclusive extract … The EPIA Global Market Outlook for Photovoltaics (PV) from 2010 to 2014 is based on an internal analysis of market data from industry members,… Read more »
Ever wondered what effect our efforts to limit global warming to two degrees will have on the European economy and labour market by 2050? A new study by the Fraunhofer Institute for Systems and Innovation Research (ISI) provides some illuminating answers. Klaus Jacob, Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft As demonstrated most recently by events in Copenhagen, international climate conferences… Read more »
Many industries have, not surprisingly, attempted to talk themselves out of the global downturn, but very few have the statistics to back up their optimism. Thankfully, the PV industry is one of this select few. And it seems as if module production is leading the charge… Last year, PV panel makers and their suppliers were… Read more »
Thin-film is apparently coming under pressure despite the knowledge is that modules made from thin-film silicon can be manufactured more cost-effectively than thick crystalline ones. It seems that the technology is trailing far behind its efficiency and cost objectives, whereas crystalline innovations are developing at a greater pace. PES investigates. Sunfilm and Signet Solar have… Read more »
As any manufacturer of wind turbine components will testify, the handling of their precious cargo is of critical importance. PES caught up with John Fricker, General Manager of RoRo/Special Projects, Europe, for Atlantic Container Line (ACL), to discover how his company smoothes the transportation process. PES: Welcome to PES. Firstly, can you tell us a… Read more »
One of the executives who took part in this issue’s roundtable interview was Kurt E. Thomsen, of Advanced Offshore Solutions Aps. Here, he goes into greater depth about a few of the more pressing issues facing the wind industry. PES: What are the obstacles to the development of wind energy?Kurt E. Thomsen: Personnel, equipment, knowledge… Read more »
Investment into Research and Development is important for many global operators within the wind energy sector, but for The Dow Chemical Company, it’s the cornerstone of its operations. Ram Ramachandran, Director of End Use Marketing for Dow Wire & Cable, discusses his company’s $1 billion annual R&D outlay, its commitment to collaboration, and his thoughts… Read more »
From October 5-7, 2010 SGS will be one of the exhibitors at the North American Offshore Wind Conference & Exhibition 2010. At stand no. 313, SGS experts will be demonstrating the wide range of services available for the wind energy industry, including Commissioning and In-Service Inspection, Technical Due Diligence and Risk Management. — SGS, the… Read more »
The BALVER ZINN Group, a leading provider of high-quality alloyed solder anodes, as well as special cored and solid wires is pleased to announce that it will highlight its solar applications in Hall4/Level2/A51a at the 25th EU PVSEC in Valencia, Spain from 6-9 September 2010. Due to photovoltaic effect, the energy of light (energy of… Read more »
Sono-Tek Corporation, a US-based company specializing in ultrasonic equipment used for alternative energy product manufacturing, will highlight its ultrasonic coating equipment, including a high-speed ultrasonic reciprocating coating system, HyperSonic, in Hall 4/Level 2/A45 at the 25th EU PVSEC in Valencia, Spain from 6-9 September 2010. The HyperSonic system is designed to coat large area solar… Read more »
Traqu, the new 3D measurement system from Essemtec, delivers more than traditional AOI systems. A tomographic infrared probe creates a digital 3-D model of an object with an accuracy of a nanometer. Using this model, any type of measurement can be made later: volumes, heights, distances, surface roughness and more. The measuring principle works with… Read more »
Living in today’s world where the products we use need to meet a rigorous set of parameters, innovative production and processing techniques are enabling producers to reach these goals in a cost-effective manner. However, the processes are only as good and efficient as the components that are used in the production environment. Innovative and efficient… Read more »
PCO AG was founded in 1987 with the objective of developing and producing specialised fast and sensitive video camera systems, mainly for scientific applications. Nowadays the product range of PCO cameras covers digital camera systems with high dynamic range, high resolution, high speed and low noise, which are sold in the scientific and industrial market… Read more »
After many years of loyal service for bolt tightening specialists Tentec, Sales Director Phil Lightwood has announced his well-earned retirement in February 2011. Throughout his 20 years at Tentec, he has seen the company rise to become one of the world’s leading manufacturers and suppliers of bolting solutions to a wide range of industries including… Read more »
We at PES have been marvelling at the inexorable growth of the offshore industry in recent months, having witnessed a raft of new project announcements from all corners of the globe. The US, Germany, Spain, Scotland and a host of other nations have all finally come around to the power of offshore energy, but we… Read more »
We at PES, like many of you reading this, are currently preparing for Valencia and the 25th European Photovoltaic Solar Energy Conference and Exhibition. We’re proud to be media partners and you’ll find our latest publication in abundance at the show. We’ll also be meeting up with many of you there – if you’d like… Read more »
In future, Christoph Biedermann and Dr. Martin Zwyssig will support the management board at Sputnik Engineering AG, from Biel . The new three-member body already met for the first time in August, chaired by the president and chief executive officer of Sputnik Engineering AG, Christoph von Bergen . Sputnik Engineering’s expansion of the management board… Read more »
$18.3 Million Project to be Built at No Cost to Douglas County School District Taxpayers School District Estimates $5.5 Million in Cost Savings by Partnering with REgeneration Finance –Premier Power to Build One of the Largest Solar Electric Projects in the State of Colorado Premier Power Renewable Energy, Inc., a global leader in the development,… Read more »