Category: Solar

Sputnik Engineering enters UK Photovoltaic market

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 »

A world-class competitor: two years on

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 »

Breeding continued success in a challenging and volatile market

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 »

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 »

A clear target of improving yield and throughput while maintaining quality

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 »

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 »

Is Portugal punching above its weight?

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 »

PV Goes Greener Triple Green

‘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 »

Introducing Print-on-Print to the solar industry

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 »

Mixed prospects for European PV industry

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 »

A glimpse into the future

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 »

Squeezing more out of modules

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 »

Testing times for thin-film?

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 »

Balver Zinn Group to Highlight Solar Applications at EU PVSEC 2010

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 to Highlight Cost Effective Alternative to Vapor Deposition

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 »

Role of vacuum pumps in solar photovoltaic value-chain

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 »

Cameras under the spotlight

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 »

The Swiss solar inverter manufacturer Sputnik Engineering AG expands its management board

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 »

Premier Power & REgeneration Finance Develop 3.0 MW of Solar Projects for Douglas County Schools

$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 »

German solar pioneer Wagner Solar Inc. targets North America with award-winning products

Did you know you could use solar energy in Alaska? Wagner & Co, a German manufacturer of multi award-winning, high quality and efficient thermal collectors, takes the first steps into the North American market. The US subsidiary, Wagner Solar Inc’s introduced the first US solar thermal collector of the EURO collector line and was rated… Read more »

Phoenix Solar AG builds 2.2 megawatt solar park in Slovakia

. green energy slovakia s.r.o. invests in solar energy. Construction work started in August Sulzemoos, 30 August 2010 / Phoenix Solar AG (ISIN DE000A0BVU93), a leading photovoltaic system integrator listed on the German TecDAX, has signed an agreement with green energy slovakia, s.r.o, a German-Slovakian investor partnership, on the planning and implementation of a solar… Read more »

Phaesun offgrid-specialists start project on rural electrification in Mozambique

Solar energy vendor in Memmingen/Germany establishes distribution network and trains traders on the spot Phaesun GmbH in Memmingen/Germany provides households, small business enterprises and public institutions in Mozambique with solar energy. With an inaugural event on 23 July 2010 which was attended by about 70 visitors, the Offgrid specialist started the project on the rural… Read more »

Solar Energy Initiatives to Present at the Rodman and Renshaw Annual Global Investment Conference

Solar Energy Initiatives, Inc., with businesses in solar project development, distribution and workforce training, today announced that David Fann, Chief Executive Officer, will be presenting at the Rodman and Renshaw Annual Global Investment Conference in New York City on Tuesday, September 14, 2010 at 5:20 p.m. EDT. Conference Presentation Details:Date: Tuesday, September 14, 2010Time: 5:20… Read more »

KYOCERA to Install Solar Power Generating Systems at All Domestic Manufacturing Sites

20 Company Sites Worldwide to Generate over 1.8MW Total Kyocera Corporation today announced that it will install solar power generating systems using the company’s own solar modules at six domestic plants by March 2011, generating a total of 593kW, as part of its activities to promote environmental protection. This move will increase the number of… Read more »

Solar Energy Initiatives to Open Second Training School in South Carolina

Solar EOS’s Solar Installer School Has Been Approved by the Waccamaw Workforce Investment Board as a South Carolina Eligible Training Provider Under the Workforce Investment Act Solar Energy Initiatives, Inc. , with businesses in solar project development, distribution and workforce training, today announced that the company’s SNRY Solar Inc. division has been approved to open… Read more »

Construction Begins Today on EVSO’s Solar Demonstration Project at TSU

Installation to give students hands-on experience with solar technology Construction is set to begin this week on Evolution Solar’s photovoltaic demonstration project at Texas Southern University’s campus in Houston. Partnering with the university, Evolution Solar will install eight AmpleSun thin-film photovoltaic panels on the campus that are intended to serve as a cornerstone of the… Read more »

Sharp(R) Electronics Names Eric Hafter Senior Vice President, Sharp Solar Energy Solutions Group

Sharp Electronics Corporation (SEC) today announced that Eric Hafter has been named Senior Vice President of Sharp Solar Energy Solutions Group (SESG), a division of SEC and the U.S. solar arm of Sharp Corporation. In this position, Mr. Hafter is responsible for all U.S. sales and marketing of Sharp’s solar energy products and solutions. Mr…. Read more »

Dow Showcases New Photovoltaic Solutions at European Photovoltaic Solar Energy Conference

Complete Solutions Improve Solar Cell Device Performance and Overall Cost The Dow Chemical Company will showcase its new solutions designed for photovoltaic manufacturers at this year’s 25th European Photovoltaic Solar Energy Conference and Exhibition (PVSEC) in Valencia, Spain (stand L3/H4/B4, Hall 4, Feria Valencia). Dow’s photovoltaic solutions can help increase solar cell efficiency and solar… Read more »

State Regulators Back TEP Plans for 10 New Renewable Power Projects

The Arizona Corporation Commission (ACC) has expressed its support for Tucson Electric Power’s plan to purchase the output of 10 new renewable power projects that together will generate nearly 150 megawatts (MW), enough energy to power more than 30,000 Tucson homes. The ACC concluded that TEP’s agreements to purchase energy from eight new Tucson-area solar… Read more »

UNI-SOLAR(R) Brand Rooftop Integrated Photovoltaics Recently Installed at Ameridian Corporate Headquarters

Inovateus Solar Supplies UNI-SOLAR(R) Flexible Solar Panels for Ameridian Corporate Headquarters United Solar, a leading global manufacturer of building-integrated and rooftop photovoltaics under its UNI-SOLAR(R) brand — and a wholly owned subsidiary of Energy Conversion Devices and its partner Inovateus Solar announce the completed 80KW installation of its BIPV product at Ameridian Specialty Services. Ameridian… Read more »

XcelPlus Global Adds Solar Energy to Its Portfolio with Acquisition of Sunfield North America

XcelPlus Global Holdings, Inc. ,an alternative energy and renewable energy solutions company, today announced that it has acquired Sunfield Technologies North America, Inc. (Sunfield N.A.), making XcelPlus the exclusive U.S. supplier of Sunfield solar thermal collectors. “This solar thermal collector is the key component of our new line of products to retrofit traditional hot water… Read more »

AT&T Enlists SunEdison to Add 2MW of Solar Power in California by 2011

AT&T* and SunEdison today announced that SunEdison, a leading worldwide solar energy services provider and subsidiary of MEMC Electronic Materials (NYSE: WFR | PowerRating), will expand AT&T’s national solar initiative by activating a new roof top solar power installation in San Diego. San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders as well as executives from AT&T and SunEdison… Read more »