U.S. DOE Award Administered by Sandia National Laboratories Will Fund Developments Deploying High-Penetration PV to the Grid Advanced Energy Industries, Inc.(“Advanced Energy”) today announced that PV Powered, Inc., an Advanced Energy company, has been selected to continue development work funded by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Solar Energy Technologies Program (SETP) and administered by… Read more »
Alternative Energy Partners, a provider of comprehensive alternative energy solutions, today announces the formation of a new subsidiary, Elan Energy Corporation (“Elan Energy”). Elan Energy, a Florida corporation, will integrate and coordinate the various energy products and services offered by Alternative Energy Partners (“AEGY”) to its clients. AEGY’s operating subsidiaries include Sunarias Corporation (http://www.sunarias.com), a… Read more »
Masdar PV, a manufacturer of large-surface thin-film solar panels in Ichtershausen, Germany, said its modules are 15 per cent more efficient, based on the semiconductor amorphous silicon, or a-Si. The company, a unit of Abu Dhabi Renewable Energy Company, or Masdar, said its modules’ efficiency has risen to 7.4 per cent. “The increase was made… Read more »
Direct Grid Technologies, LLC, announced that it has received CE as well as VDE0126-1-1 certification for the DGM-S460 Series Grid Tie Micro-Inverter. The DGM-S460 is a rugged utility grade photovoltaic (PV) inverter that offers a unique architecture and a market-leading 460W power output in the micro-inverter space. The technology employed in the Direct Grid micro-inverter… Read more »
Project will demonstrate cost-effectiveness of combined solar-storage integration on commercial buildings for peak demand reduction Ice Energy, a leading provider of smart-grid enabled, advanced energy storage solutions to the electric utility industry, will work with SunPower Corp., on a unique pilot project funded by the California Public Utilities Commission that will combine its Ice Bear… Read more »
PES is proud to present our first roundtable interview, in which the great and good of the solar/PV community debate and discuss the burning issues of the moment. We’re delighted to have secured access to some of the sector’s foremost thinkers, and are sure you’ll be engaged and illuminated by what they’ve got to say…. Read more »
Gavin Brown, Reward Information Consultant at global management consultancy Hay Group, tells PES why companies are worried about retaining talent in the renewable energy sector with an increasing number of managers in the renewable energy sector worrying about holding on to their best talent… While other areas in our national economies are battening down the… Read more »
All eyes in the industry will shortly be on the 25th European Photovoltaic Solar Energy Conference and Exhibition taking place from 6-10 September at the Feria Valencia fairground in Spain. Here PES presents its exclusive preview of the event which could not have come at a more crucial time for the industry. This year’s PV… Read more »
As the ancient Greek philosopher Heraclitus once memorably observed: “Everything is in a state of flux.” If a modern-day proof of this axiom were required, we need look no further than the renewable energy industry where it looks like a paradigm shift – involving the US and Europe – is about to take place …… 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 »
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 »
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 »
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 »
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 »
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 »
. 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 »
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 »