Berlin, May 6, 2010. SOLON SE closed a project deal with the Greek company NRG-ORION for the delivery of solar modules with a total capacity of 1.5MWp. NRG-ORION is one of the largest system integrators for solar power plants in Greece. The SOLON modules will be used to construct a ground-mounted PV system at the… Read more »
Applied Materials Sees Strong Demand for Esatto Double Print Technology for Manufacturing Higher Efficiency, Lower Cost Solar Cells SHANGHAI–(BUSINESS WIRE)– Applied Materials, Inc. today announced at the SNEC 2010 PV Power Expo* that its Esatto TechnologyTM is expected to be used in more than 2 gigawatts of annual cell manufacturing capacity in the next few… Read more »
Underwriters Laboratories Announces Applied Materials’ SunFab Line Modules First to Meet Master Certification Program Requirements for the Solar Industry NORTHBROOK, Ill.–(BUSINESS WIRE)– Underwriters Laboratories (UL), a world leader in safety testing and certification, announced today that photovoltaic modules produced by an Applied Materials SunFab Thin Film LineTM are the first to qualify for UL’s Master… Read more »
Trade fair in Tripoli: Ferrostaal sees tremendous potential in Libya At the Tripoli International Fair, which concludes tomorrow, Ferrostaal AG shows its activities in the oil & gas industry and announced the further expansion of its activities in Libya, particularly those concerning renewable energy. As Carsten Arlt, Head of Ferrostaal in Libya, remarks, “Its steadily… Read more »
At the end of the first quarter of 2010, the total shipments of DEK Solar’s PV1200 metallization platforms exceeded the industry measure of 1 Gigawatt of energy generation capacity. The achievement is all the more notable as DEK only re-entered the Alternative Energy sector 18 months ago with a new screen print platform designed expressly… Read more »
Greifswald, May 3, 2010. After only eight weeks of construction, SOLON SE inaugurated a new production line for solar modules at its manufacturing site in Greifswald today. As a consequence, nearly 60 new jobs have been created. Mr. Erwin Sellering, minister president of the state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Mr. Jürgen Seidel, state minister for economic affairs,… Read more »
Italian Manufacturer Soluzione Solare presents a new solarimeter to measure solar radiation at the trade fair Intersolar Europe Vicenza, 3 May 2010. The Italian company Soluzione Solare has developed the new solarimeter Litemeter – a tool for measuring solar radiation and to determine whether a solar system is performing at correct levels. The new product… Read more »
Phoenix Solar AG to build solar parks for German utility . Stadtwerke Trier opts for photovoltaics. Solar parks with a total peak power of 7.8 megawatts in Fell and Bitburg Sulzemoos 4 May 2010 / Phoenix Solar AG (ISIN DE000A0BVU93), a leading photovoltaic system integrator listed on the German TecDAX, is to build two solar parks for SWT… Read more »
DuPont expects its photovoltaic sales to grow over 50 percent this year as the solar industry experiences strong growth as a result of increased market demand for new installations in Europe, North America and parts of Asia. DuPont now expects its sales into photovoltaics to exceed $1 billion in 2011, which is a year ahead… Read more »
MILL VALLEY, Calif., Apr 28, 2010 (BUSINESS WIRE) — Solar Power Partners, Inc. (SPP(TM)), the country’s largest independent solar power producer, today announced it has closed $115 million in financing, expandable up to $215 million. The financing comprises construction debt, term debt, and tax equity provided by U.S. Bank and WestLB AG, as well as corporate… Read more »
Oldcastle Precast will be co-presenting a free seminar titled “Commercial-Scale Solar Mounting System Solutions” at the SOLAR 2010 Conference May 17-22 in Dallas, Texas. This four hour session, a collaboration between Oldcastle Precast and Conenergy, details Conenergy’s revolutionary SolarGiantII, which represents a significant advance in the state of the art ground-mounted PV arrays, and Oldcastle… 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 team at Rehm Thermal Systems are preparing to showcase the company’s best-in-class capabilities for solar cell metallization at Photon Expo being held from April 27th- 29th in Stuttgart, Germany. Photon 2010 will highlight the thermal specialist’s recently updated line of fast-firing systems and drying ovens in Hall 4, Stand G39 Following exhaustive testing by… 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 »
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 »
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 »
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 »
A year ago, the future of the PV industry in Greece was looking very bright indeed. After what seemed to be a long time in the mid-table of European renewable energy output, lagging behind the rather less sunny Ireland and Great Britain, it seemed there was a new effort to capture the country’s greatest natural… Read more »
As the world becomes ever more conscious of the need to conserve fossil fuels and move towards greener methods of energy production, the EC’s Joint Research Centre remains at the centre of efforts to spread the word. Here the group gives PES an overview of the current state of play and looks into its crystal… Read more »
PES talks exclusively to Adel El Gammal, Secretary General of the European Photovoltaic Industry Association, to hear his views on PV market perspectives and challenges, and how can solar PV become a mainstream energy supplier in Europe by 2020. PES: Welcome. It’s good to have the EPIA back in the magazine again, how has the… Read more »
Just over 60 years ago, on March 26, 1949, the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft was founded in the large conference hall of the Bavarian Ministry of the Economy. At the time, the idea was to develop new structures for research after the war’s destruction, and to spur reconstruction of the economy. Today, the globally-respected institute analyses current macro… Read more »
Grid parity for solar power – competitiveness with electricity prices – has for some years been known as the ‘Holy Grail’ of the PV industry, with many speculating on when and where it is likely to be achieved. PES investigates. Obviously, much depends on the amount of sunshine in the skies above. The west coast… Read more »
California-based Paula Mints is widely recognised as one of the foremost experts in the PV industry. For many years she has provided clients with objective, comprehensive industry analysis based on extensive primary research, including her forward-looking understanding of market and technology trends. Her strong background in primary research qualifies her to provide insight into the… Read more »
The quest for grid parity has been a long one, but it seems as if the new solar dawn is finally arriving in many European nations. But then, it all depends who you ask… “Basically everything (in the industry) is bound to grow still further. Growing further means less cost. Less cost means grid parity…. Read more »