Category: Corporate Focus

Advanced coating equipment from Germany

The German family-owned company VON ARDENNE develops and manufactures advanced vacuum coating equipment for the photovoltaic and solar thermal industry, the architectural glass coating market, and the web coating market. We take a closer look at the company, which is constantly identifying and analysing market trends throughout these industries in order to strengthen and broaden… Read more »

Setting new standards in product quality and reliability

We’re delighted to welcome back Hirschmann Renewable Energy to the magazine. The company presents a thought-provoking essay on the reported decline of quality in the solar industry and offers its own solutions… Most of us respond when asked, believe that energy is obviously one of the most important fundamentals of our being on this planet…. Read more »

Electric Home Storage Autonomy For Private Households And Buildings

State-of-the-art battery performance and the innovative design of power electronics have created commercially viable storage systems. Combined with PV or co-generation at home, E3/DC has created significant volumes in Germany based on professional, industrial production and a new product architecture. Andreas Piepenbrink, founder and CEO, explains the company and product strategy. Demand for storage: motivationEnergy… Read more »

The energy of partnership

Building gearless turbines that are made to last The leading producer of gearless wind turbines has emerged from the well-known LEITNER group, situated in South Tyrol, Italy. LEITWIND was one of the first companies to develop gearless wind turbines and belongs to the innovation leaders in this segment. Production is situated in Austria and India… Read more »

Cut costs and boost efficiency: rising star does both simultaneously

How do you make the world’s best coating for your PV panels? How do you make solar cells more commercially competitive? How can you know you have great solutions for your end products from the start? Beneq, a company just starting to draw attention with its results, is focused specifically on being the best in… Read more »

Working with sunshine

Everything starts with the sun. From life on earth, to efficient, unlimited and environmentally friendly power. Access to energy is the foundation for progress and the creation of wealth, and it is generally accepted that solar cells will become a dominant energy source in the future. Merck, a leader in chemical and materials sciences, shares… Read more »

How tools used in other industries can help to stabilise web coating processes in the solar sector

A longstanding contributor to PES, Carl Zeiss is known worldwide for its dedication to quality. In this, the company’s latest submission, it looks at a cross-pollination of technology to bring down costs and maintain performance… With a longstanding history in the field of large area coating, Carl Zeiss has constantly supported manufactures of web coating… Read more »

Fast in-line EVA cross-linking test

The quality of the cross-linking of EVA (ethylene-vinyl acetate) encapsulants is crucial for the market success of solar modules. Premium suppliers need their products to be ahead of competition not only by cost-effectiveness and by the efficiency of their modules. It is also the long-term stability of the modules that is receiving much attention by… Read more »

High performance PV connector is internationally certified

PES takes a closer look at one of Multi Contact’s most-trusted pieces of equipment. With the MC4PLUS, Multi-Contact introduced a PV connector to the market which is especially designed for internationally operating module manufacturers. The MC4PLUS is the first connector worldwide to be recognised for both 1500 VDC TÜV and 1000 VDC UL, and within… Read more »

Presenting high performance technology that boosts production efficiency

Cutting production costs and improving product throughput – from thin-film through to CPV. At the next EU PVSEC, the equipment supplier and automation specialists Grenzebach will demonstrate their preparedness for market challenges. The high tech experts present their efficient process solutions for thin film modules, CSP and CPV in hall 3, stand J41. With over… Read more »

Preparing for the industry upturn: striking a balance in high-performance PV ribbon

Industry evidence shows that the PV industry has been suffering from an imbalance between supply and demand for over a year now. There are many factors that come into play with this situation – some we can control, and some we can’t… Luvata, a PV connector-ribbon manufacturer, is working hard on what it CAN control… Read more »

Enabling efficient offshore logistics

A reliable operator of several German terminals, Buss Port Logistics is known for providing a sterling service to the wind industry’s most demanding clients. PES takes a closer look at the company. Buss Port Logistics operates efficient multi-purpose terminals in Hamburg and other ports, and represents a diverse range of port-specific services. The terminals handle… Read more »

Complete control from turbine to park

As the demand for flexible, controlled power in the grid increases, today’s wind turbines and parks are growing in size. In order to control these wind parks, and to ensure that they are balanced and able to comply with the grid codes all over the world, Mita-Teknik offers an open, reliable, flexible and intelligent Wind… Read more »

A leading combination of innovation and excellence

Power-One is the world’s second largest designer and manufacturer of photovoltaic inverters with facilities on three continents producing renewable energy products in Italy, USA, Canada and China. The company offers the full range of photovoltaic and wind products, from small residential inverters to large utility-grade units – a diverse range of solutions to meet the… Read more »

Improvement with every step

PV manufacturer Schott Solar has announced the launch of a new high performance module. PES takes a look at the Schott Perform Mono 260 to see just how the company’s decades of experience and expertise have shaped their new product. The development team at the German manufacturer have produced the new module in the 260W… Read more »

Find fresh wind in the German southwest!

Our industry was built on fresh ideas, novel solutions and new methodologies, and so with that approach in mind, we’d like to introduce you to Baden-Württemberg – a German state that’s very much open for wind business… The future belongs to renewable energy. The greater shortage of conventional resources and the more urgent the ecological… Read more »

Great at control

With more than 40 years of experience, and a market-leading position in their field, Mita-Teknik is a Danish family-run business that has gone global, bringing innovative systems and a local approach to the worldwide wind market. Mita-Teknik has been developing control system solutions since 1969 and now employs around 230 people worldwide. With divisions in… Read more »

Mastering power

A globally-operating company with manufacturing plants in the Netherlands and the US (and representative offices in England, China and Poland), Holmatro’s hydraulic products are used across the entire globe. We take a look at the company’s operations, and discover how it fits into the European wind sector. Since 1967, Holmatro has manufactured and supplied high-pressure… Read more »

Introducing the quality process

One of the largest fully-integrated solar module producers in the world, Sovello ensures that all the elements of the production process correspond to the highest quality standards and constantly aim for improved sustainability and energy efficiency. Indeed, it is Sovello’s aim to become the world’s ‘most sustainable solar company’. PES takes a look behind the… Read more »

Redefining innovation in solar PV

Stéphane Dufrenne is no stranger to innovation. With 13 years of experience in the semiconductor industry – nine of those while based in Asia – Stéphane has dedicated his career to developing cutting-edge technologies and world-class global manufacturing operations. As the CTO of Upsolar, Stéphane brings to the solar PV industry a fresh perspective based… Read more »

Peak performance in solar technologies

One of the sector’s most innovative companies and a true system integrator in PV manufacturing, Meyer Burger is one of the solar sector’s shining lights. PES is proud to present a snapshot of this pioneering corporation. Meyer Burger stands for leading-edge photovoltaic technologies. The Swiss company is the only equipment manufacturer in the world who… Read more »

A short history of the PV connector

With over 15 years’ experience in the field, Multi-Contact is a leading provider of dependable connector systems for photovoltaic installations. The company’s pre-assembled connectors, cables, and junction boxes allow for quick and easy connection on-site, while the cable couplers are fully touch-protected and designed for high voltage and high current-carrying capacity. It’s safe to say… Read more »

Total solutions for total efficiency

FlexLink is a worldwide company providing production logistics solutions and all services to suit the global strategies of solar clients. With 30 years’ experience serving its customers’ needs, FlexLink’s production logistics solutions decrease throughput time, work in progress and non-value adding operations. At the same time, they increase delivery capability, quality assurance and factory profitability… Read more »

Tackling the quality challenge

With more than 26 years’ sales and business management experience, James Payne is the Managing Director of Upsolar Germany GmbH. He has worked with some of the world’s largest companies including Bombardier Transportation and Xerox, although he started his business career selling Apple Computers which eventually led him to start his own Apple-Authorised Dealership at… Read more »

Finding the right solutions

Transporting wind power components by ship requires a lot of expertise and experience. Employing its own team of experts with many years of specialist knowledge in this arena, shipbroker COLI provides the appropriate tonnage – made-to-measure for all cargo components, including complete wind turbines. When the ship intended to carry the cargo ties up at… Read more »

Achieving Thermal Uniformity in Photovoltaic Applications

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 »

Moving PV to the next level

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 »

Innovative strength and social sustainability

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 »

Emerson unveils innovative transformer-free central inverter system

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 »

Goodbye to thin film

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 »

Producing 100 per cent of the energy while expending 50 per cent less silicon and energy

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 »

Rickmers-Linie overcomes financial crisis

Rickmers-Linie, the heavylift, breakbulk and project cargo specialist based in Hamburg, has seen indications that the challenging months of financial crisis have been overcome – with wind power transport identified as one of the defining drivers of the upturn. PES takes a closer look at the company and its wind-optimised fleet. Gerhard Janssen, Director Marketing… Read more »

A lean, green, transportation solution

With wind turbines helping the worldshift to a greener energy supply, moreand more environmentally-consciousmanufacturers – and their customers– are interested in utilizing a greenertransportation mode to get their windturbines to their destination. CN is in astrong position to support this importantemerging market, with a shipping solutionthat is truly seamless, and a definitegreen advantage.Emissions reduction is… Read more »

One-stop partner for solar PV manufacturing

Bottero Group is a global player for the glass industry, with a focus on the design, production and installation of glass technologies and equipment that stretches back over more than 50 years. With the expertise of their 1200 people, seven Research and Development centres in Europe, production facilities in Italy and China, and a service… Read more »

SINGULUS: a transition to solar solutions

With the acquisition of the solar company STANGL Semiconductor Equipment AG in 2007, a foundation was laid to establish SINGULUS TECHNOLOGIES in the growing photovoltaics market. Numerous new products were developed and made marketable at SINGULUS and STANGL, and as from 2010 SINGULUS will pursue an expansion strategy in the solar segment. In the future… Read more »

Dependable power plants for a clean environment

Economic prosperity, progress and environmental protection – for the turbine manufacturer, Nordex, these go hand in hand. Since 1985 the company has been developing increasingly efficient turbines that help meet the global demand for energy while reducing the impact on the environment. PES investigates. As an internationally expanding company, Nordex has a footprint in all… Read more »