Newport Corporation was formed in 1969 to provide vibration control solutions for laser-based laboratory applications. In the 40 years since, as technology has advanced, the company has grown and developed significantly and now offers a comprehensive range of products meeting the needs of the optical industry. We spoke to Ron Hartmayer, Director of Marketing, PV… Read more »
Advanced Offshore Solutions was established back in 2006 by Kurt E Thomsen, a pioneer in the offshore wind farm installation business. Since then, the Danish company has established a reputation for being a world leader in the design, building and implementation of transport and logistical solutions for the offshore wind industry. PES talks to Mr… Read more »
A family-owned company, Vest Kran is one of the leading full-service providersof engineered heavy lifting and logistics in Scandinavia. PES talks to Njaal R. Solange about the firm’s expansion into global markets and its dedication to maintaining high standards. PES: Welcome to PES magazine. Can you tell us a little about the history of your… Read more »
Union Pacific is one of America’s leading transportation companies. Its principal operating company, Union Pacific Railroad, is North America’s premier railroad franchise, covering 23 states across the western two-thirds of the United States. PES speaks to Ken Adams who heads up the company’s wind team … PES: Welcome back to PES magazine. First, can you… Read more »
SIMPACK AG offers general purpose three dimensional Multi-Body Simulation Software which is uniquely suited to the analysis and design of any type of wind turbine design. Built upon well-proven technology used in other application areas – such as the gear wheel element developed for the Formula 1 racing industry – the company delivers a pre-eminent… Read more »
Gulf Stream Marine commands attention for its innovations and flexibility. Now more than ever, both help the company maintain its position as a leader in the specialized field of wind turbine transportation. Company CEO, Jan Rietdijk, explains … PES: PES first caught up with Gulf Stream Marine last year. What is new with the company?… Read more »
As Vice President of Industrial Products Sales for BNSF Railway, Katie Farmer has witnessed railroad’s evolution into a 21st century transport provider for 21st century industries such as wind power. PES talks to Katie about the company’s growing influence and its ‘total transportation package’. PES: Welcome to PES magazine. Can you explain a little about… Read more »
PES last spoke to Emerson Network Power’s Jeky Li Gang (International Sales Manager, Department Of Wind Power Product) in 2009, just after the company had posted a record trading year. We caught up with him once more to find out how the Chinese company has evolved and to discover what they’ve planned for the coming… Read more »
With a 150-year history behind it, Carl Zeiss MicroImaging has an unrivalled reputation for high-quality optics and opto-electronics, and was in at the start of PV solar cell production. Key account manager Peter Lamparter explains the company’s expertise and how it stays ahead of its competitors. PES: Welcome back to PES, for the benefit of… Read more »
The InFrame Synapse product family of German company Information Technology AG (acp-IT) offers all the IT functionalities necessary to manage and control a high-tech manufacturing line in the PV as well as semiconductor, electronics and automotive industries. Dr Frank Frauenhoffer, one of the founders of the company, talks about its product portfolio. PES: Dr Frauenhoffer,… Read more »
A leading global provider of intelligent vision-guided robotics systems and services, Adept Technology GmbH systems provide performance and economic value throughout the production lifecycle, enabling PV customers to achieve precision, quality and productivity in their assembly, handling and packaging processes. PES spoke to Joachim Melis, Vice President Worldwide Sales. PES: Intelligent automation has come a… Read more »
Air Liquide is a leading France-based supplier of gases for industry, health and the environment. The group, established as a small company back in1902, offers innovative solutions based on constantly updated and advanced technologies and produces air gases such as oxygen, nitrogen, argon and other rare gases as well as hydrogen. PES talks to Olivier… Read more »
A global supplier of gases and chemicals, Air Products supplies customers in technology, energy, healthcare, and industrial markets. Crucially, it has adapted to serve the PV sector and boasts a massive portfolio of clients worldwide. PES asked Jeff Handelman, General Manager, Photovoltaics, for his global perspective on the industry. PES: PV seems to be developing… Read more »
Applied Materials is a US company that focuses on its 40-year equipment manufacturing competency to unlock cost reductions and accelerate the march towards peak and grid parity. Robert DeLine, Applied’s Managing Director of Channel Development, talks PES through the process. PES: Grid parity is the buzz word of 2010. How does your company aid cost… Read more »
Canadian Solar Inc. is one of the world’s largest solar module producers. In this interview, Gregory Spanoudakis, President of European Operations, shares his thoughts on the company’s ever-growing success and the outlook for 2010. PES: Welcome back to PES magazine. What have been the challenges and the successes that your company has faced since we… Read more »
Don Buchalski, senior marketing specialist, Dow Corning Solar Solutions, talks to PES about the advantages silicon-based materials bring to the PV industry and the specific solutions offered by Dow Corning. PES: Stephanie Burns, Dow Corning’s CEO, has stated that making solar energy economically competitive with traditional energy sources is a corporate priority for your company…. Read more »
PES is proud to welcome back Egbert Wenninger, Vice President, Sales Glass Technology of Grenzebach Maschinenbau GmbH (Grenzebach). We pressed him on recent business partnerships, product development and more. PES: We note that Grenzebach has formed a recent partnership with Algoscan. Can you explain a little about this business and what you intend to offer… Read more »
As a comprehensive optoelectronics group, Jenoptik is well-known – and indeed, well respected – within the PV arena. With its group headquarters in Jena (Germany), the company is represented in nearly 70 countries and has major production sites abroad in the USA, France and Switzerland as well as shareholdings in India, China, Korea and Japan…. Read more »
As CEO of Meyer Burger, Peter Pauli has helmed the company through a period of impressive – and perhaps unprecedented – growth. Their all-share acquisition of 3S Industries has created a company with a workforce comprising more than 1,000 employees, making it the world’s third-largest PV equipment supplier. Here, he tells PES about the past,… Read more »
One of the most forward-looking operators within the PV industry, Multi-Contact is nevertheless built upon decades of innovation and experience across a broad sweep of industries. PES caught up with CEO, Rainer Isenrich, who is currently steering the company into previously-untapped global markets. PES: Welcome back to PES. For the benefit of any new readers… Read more »
As CEO of Oerlikon Leybold Vacuum, Dr. Andreas Widl is one of the PV industry’s leading lights. Here, he talks to PES about the evolution of the company and the technological advances that have made it a major global player. PES: Welcome to PES magazine, for the benefit of our readers who might not be… Read more »
Since 1995, Prediktor has delivered advanced industrial IT tools and solutions to a wide range of industries, including the PV sector. As CEO Steinar Sælid explains, the company’s solutions are based on deep process knowledge and insights into customers’ processes and operations. PES: When you were formulating your Manufacturing Execution System (MES) solution back in… Read more »
In October last year, Hans-Joachim Bender was awarded a German Enterprise Medal (“Wirtschaftsmedaille”) in recognition of his corporate merits and achievements as the managing partner of Robert Bürkle GmbH. The Black Forest plant manufacturer is bucking the recent economic trend by introducing new products and innovations and has aggressively opened up the photovoltaic market as… Read more »
China-based Upsolar is a global company, specialising in the design and manufacture of PV modules. It has always maintained that its strength lies in the development of strict quality control in the manufacturing process, to provide worldwide customers with reliable, excellent products. Here, PES talks to the company’s Jerry Li, Supply Chain & Manufacturing Director…. Read more »
Underwriters Laboratories’ time-tested system supports governmental product safety regulations, and helps companies meet the challenge of accessing global markets while bringing safer products to consumers. Building on the company’s product safety heritage, UL has expanded into environmental claims verification and sustainability standards development, as well as verification services supporting supply chain integrity. Wind energy is… Read more »
It’s fair to say that for certain ancillary industries, trading has been tough. The logistics and transportation sectors have suffered in recent months, stifled by a slowing of new wind projects. Nevertheless, Matias Setälä, Director of Silvasti Logistics, is one of many executives who remains bullish about the future. PES asked him why he believes… Read more »
Hamburg-based COLI Schiffahrt & Transport GmbH & Co KG has been in the break bulk business for more than 35 years, gaining an enviable reputation as a specialist in transporting wind power components by sea. Felix Peinemann, Director of Shipping, explains how the company has built its success on customised solutions for the wind power… Read more »
Although the wind energy industry is booming, the sector presents several technical, environmental, and financial challenges that investors and developers need to understand thoroughly in order for their businesses to be successful. DNV offers combined expertise in appraising and evaluating such risks and opportunities, as Dr. Claus Fridtjof Christensen, DNV Global Wind Energy, explains. PES:… Read more »
One of the continent’s foremost stevedore and marine terminal operators, Gulfstream Marine is making a name for itself in the specialised field of wind turbine transportation. caught up with company founderPES: Welcome to PES magazine. Firstly, can you give us a basic overview of Gulf Stream Marine (GSM) as a company and how it operates… Read more »
Union Pacific operates North America’s premier railroad franchise, covering 23 states in the western two-thirds of the United States. PES spoke to Byron Willis and Beth Whited to ask just what that means for the transportation of freight for the wind industry. What are the points of differentiation for Union Pacific compared to other railroads… Read more »
New Federal tax incentives established by the ARRA for financing wind projects [sell] The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) added two new and significant provisions, enacted as part of an effort to spur domestic development and installation of renewable energy, that are available to developers to help finance their wind projects. {pagebreak}… Read more »
Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar offers PES a stimulating and thought-provoking analysis of the future of the energy business throughout the US as we enter a brave new world of political development. Whereas previous generations may have been prepared to accept compromise and second-best, we now have a golden opportunity to forge ahead in… Read more »
A recent Harvard-led research project suggests the potential of wind energy could be considerably higher than previous estimates by both wind industry groups and government agencies. In this exclusive extract, PES looks at the report, garnered from the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States. Using data from thousands of meteorological… Read more »
or rather, their energy could well be. A newly-published study commissioned by the Canadian Wind Energy Association found considerable potential for wind energy exports from the Maritime Provinces to the US north east. In this exclusive extract, PES reveals how the provinces of New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island could transport their surplus… Read more »
PES looks at how seaways and rail networks are helping to speed up the continent’s bid for a more ecologically-sound future, based around wind farm technology. Picture the scene: you’re driving along a narrow road in small town America. It’s a like a scene from a Wim Wenders movie with maybe just a dash of… Read more »
Kurt E Thomsen’s company Advanced Offshore Solutions (AOS) was a pioneer in the field of offshore windfarm installations. Here, he talks to PES about the successes of the industry and how AOS plans to meet the severe challenges it is likely to face in the near future. {pagebreak} PES: Welcome to PES magazine, Can… Read more »