Trina Solar Limited, a leading integrated manufacturer of solar photovoltaic products from the production of ingots, wafers and cells to the assembly of PV modules, founded in 1997, announced today that shipments began this month to provide more than 13,400 solar PV modules to power the Atlantic City Convention Center (“ACCC”) in New Jersey, United… Read more »
The EU has chosen a more efficient, sustainable and affordable future through its policies to use renewable energy and fight climate change, says a new report. The International Energy Agency says the EU is a world leader in beginning to mitigate the effects of global warming through ambitious proposals on climate change and energy policies…. Read more »
A slice of California’s rich cinematic history will soon be undergoing the solar treatment, the first cinema of its kind in the United States to do so. The Fairfax 5 Theatres complex in the town of Fairfax will install a PV system, resulting in savings of more than $600,000 over its 30-year life span. The… Read more »
Renewable energy consumers in Germany are celebrating after the government said it would scale back the feed-in tariff by only 9-10 per cent each year until 2011. The news is a huge boost for renewables in Germany, as it was expected that a 30 per cent scale back would be implemented. {pagebreak} In 1999, the… Read more »
The need to recruit people with the right skills is causing worries in the renewables sector as demand for good employees far outstrips supply. With the cost of energy rising rapidly, the need for alternative supplies and people with relevant skills to produce it is producing challenges says Stuart Brown, Practice Head of Energy and… Read more »
Pioneering UK green electricity firm Ecotricity has been highly commended in a national awards ceremony that honours green business. The company, which introduced green electricity as a consumer choice for the first time when it was launched in 1995 was praised for its efforts at the 2008 Barclays Commercial Bank Green Leaders in Business Awards…. Read more »
Technology launched to cut unnecessary power generation Dynamic demand for electricity is a step closer with the launch of innovative new technology from energy company RLtec. Dynamic demand is a way of managing electricity consumption that delivers significant cost and carbon savings, and is increasingly recognised as a key technology for reducing carbon dioxide emissions…. Read more »
Entries sought for 2009 awards European and global companies in the renewable energy sector are being asked for submissions to the second annual Rosenblatt New Energy Awards. The Awards are being staged at London’s Natural History Museum on Wednesday 25th February 2009 to recognise the achievements of management teams, companies and projects that have made… Read more »
Radical solutions call to reverse carbon levels A call for governments to adopt a ‘global energy technology revolution’ has been made in a report by the International Energy Agency (IEA).The report, entitled ‘Energy Technology Perspectives 2008′ indicates that if countries continue with their existing policies, global carbon emissions will rise by 130 per cent while… Read more »
‘Green’ energy spending on rise Global investment in green energy surged ahead in 2007 and has continued to grow this year despite turmoil in financial markets, a report says. Spending on green power last year hit $148bn (£75bn), up 60% from 2006, the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) said. {pagebreak} Rising oil prices, concerns over… Read more »
Robots working alongside their human colleagues on a variety of production lines are now an everyday sight, and the photovoltaic industry is taking notice of the lower costs and shorter production times that the use of robots in industry brings. In this article, Rüdiger Winter, of German company Adept Technology, a global, leading provider of… Read more »
From furniture to foil – laminate : firm branches out to embrace new PV business German laminate company Bürkle is well-known in the laminates and pressing industry for its work in the wood, plastic card and circuit board industries. Now, it has gained a foothold in the photovoltaic industry and is determined to use the… Read more »
The Danfoss company of Denmark began life in an attic, the brainchild of inventor Mads Clausen. Today, the company produces around 250,000 items a day – including many energy-saving products – at 70 factories in 25 countries. The company’s products and businesses focus on reducing energy consumption as well as renewable energy. {pagebreak} Danfoss Solar… Read more »
The German firm, Decker, started life as an iron foundry more than a century ago and has moved with the times ever since. In the late 1970s it began to supply etching equipment for the newly-emerging semiconductor industry and as this developed, so did Decker. Over the last 30 years it has created customer-specific equipment… Read more »
Luvata has been established for hundreds of years and has contributed to a host of products, some familiar and some not so well known. In the 1990s Luvata pioneered technology that made automated mass-production of photovoltaic solar panels possible by enabling automatic ribbon soldering. In this revealing Q&A, Justin Roux, Luvata’s Senior Vice President of… Read more »
Meyer Burger slices into the high-tech sector for success and sustainability Meyer Burger is a leading supplier of high-precision machines with wire saws, band saws and ID / OD slicing systems for cutting hard and brittle materials such as silicon, sapphire or other crystals into wafers, prisms and other shapes. The company’s offering includes various… Read more »
It’s boom time for the photovoltaic sector and firms are increasingly finding that demand outstrips supply. This is the experience of Swiss–based Multi–Contact, who are working hard to beat the bottlenecks and ensuring their customers are being satisfactorily serviced. The global increase in the demand for electric power and the trend towards resource–saving energy production… Read more »
China is at the cutting edge of photovoltaic manufacturing and Solarfun is one of Asia’s leading companies in the sector. The upswing in PV interest mirrors the company’s rapid growth rate of the last few years and there is confidence this curve can be maintained. We talk to new CEO Harold Hoskens, who has joined… Read more »
The coming together of two German hi-tech companies in August of 2007 resulted in a synergy that can only benefit the ever–expanding photovoltaics industry as a whole. Han–Juergen Stangl outlines the expertise of both companies and explains how they will operate for mutual gain in the solar technology market. In an ever–competitive environment, SINGULUS Technologies… Read more »
By ramping up production capacity while driving down unit cost through new mass-production technologies and strategies, solar power is poised to reach a much wider market.KUKA Systems’ goal is to pioneer automated manufacturing solutions, including robotized cells and integrated production lines that can be adapted to any type of solar-cell technology, so that a labour-intensive… Read more »
Trina Solar to participate as a speaker at the International Congress on Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Sources in Bulgaria Barcelona, 31st March 2008 The international manufacturer of solar modules Trina Solar will be participating as a speaker on the fourth edition of the Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Sources conference which will be held… Read more »
Testing PV cells WACOM is a light source and lighting device specialist and one of the world’s leading solar simulator manufacturers. WACOM’s Lighting Device Division has provided Solar Simulator and I-V Measurement Systems for more than 20 years to almost all Japan’s PV makers as well as many of the main PV research institutions in… Read more »
With growth in the photovoltaic industry gathering speed, new players are claiming their stake in the market. And the only way to keep ahead of the game, says Max Göldi, Industrial Product Unit Manager for Huber+Suhner, is to offer faultless performance, value for money and unbeatable customer care. {pagebreak} PES: Can you explain a little… Read more »
We are focussing on strengthening our market position by employing best technological practice Hans-Jörgen Stangl, CEO of Stangl AG, has helmed the company through a fantastically successful year, one that has seen a link-up with Singulus Technologies and an increase in PV revenue. Here he talks to PES about the company, their goals for the… Read more »
Detlev Koch, Head of Solar Thin Film, Oerlikon Solar.For the PV industry, this is a time of optimism, historic economic potential and technological progress – and unprecedented challenges. But governments and the private sector alike are betting on our industry to meet the challenges and supply an increasingly larger share of the world’s future electricity… Read more »
PV could represent 25% of global electricity consumption in 2040. Dr Winfreid Hoffmann, President, European Photovoltaic Industry Association.Writing exclusively for PES, Dr. Winfried Hoffmann, President of the EPIA, discusses the current state of the industry and his hopes for a bright future… {pagebreak} The global photovoltaic sector has been growing significantly over the last eight… Read more »
Solarfun Power Holdings (Nasdaq: SOLF) has again moved up among the top-tier solar manufacturers, while increasing its capacity to an impressive 240MW. Since its establishment in 2004, the company has contributed to the global transition to a sustainable energy future one PV cell at a time. {pagebreak} Building a trusted brand on the foundation of… Read more »
A ‘Total Fab Solution’ for Thin Film Solar Modules End-to-End (E2E) Fab Solutions for Thin Film Silicon Solar Modules are the latest of Oerlikon Solar’s offerings to the solar market. This package – which has been specifically tailored to customers with a turn-key requirement – has generated a lot of interest. {pagebreak} Business growth at… Read more »
Thomas E. Hoffmeister, Managing Director of FPE Fischer GmbH, talks about his company’s first foray into the renewable energy industry, reinvigorating the organisation and the launch of an innovative new product… {pagebreak} PES: Can you explain a little about your company and what you offer the renewable energy industry?Thomas Hoffmeister: FPE Fischer GmbH has been… Read more »
“If you want to stay ahead of the competition you have to invest in R&D” The Komax Group, founded in 1975 and headquartered in Switzerland, is one of the top global providers of wire processing systems and assembly automation equipment. One of its primary markets is the photovoltaics industry and to this end we invited… Read more »
“It’s about best technologies, highest throughput and lowest losses” For industries that require expensive raw materials such as silicon and sapphire, production efficiency and process stability are key to operating cost-efficient production lines. Peter Pauli, CEO of Meyer Burger AG, explains how this major provider of slicing systems to solar-cell manufacturers helps its clients achieve… Read more »
Sporting a philosophy of inventing market-orientated products, combined with innovation and vision, PES discovers how the firmly-established Multi-Contact has adapted to the challenges that the global quest for renewable energy presents. We speak to CEO, Rainer Isenrich… {pagebreak} PES: Can you explain a little about your company and what you offer the renewable energy industry?Rainer… Read more »
In manufacturing, a one-stop supplier strategy can work in everyone’s favour If an industry is going to flourish, it needs a quality-controlled supply network. Renewable energy producers in particular need end products that are safe, reliable and built to last. PES asks Rolf Schäfer (Dipl.-Phys.), owner of Robeko, about the challenges and benefits of entering… Read more »
Since founding in 2001, Suntech has grown rapidly to become one of the largest solar companies in the world. In fact, Suntech was the fourth largest manufacturer of PV cells in the world at the end of 2006, up from eighth position one year earlier. This startling growth and success in the solar industry is… Read more »
Silicon. Solar. Sustainability. Solar energy – is it a sound business proposition? This question has been asked for decades by business leaders. At Dow Corning, we believe the answer is a resounding “yes,” and we are committed to helping solar energy become an accessible, economically viable and self-sustaining energy alternative around the world. {pagebreak} Dow… Read more »
The advantages of vertical integration With the solar marketplace becoming increasingly competitive, some manufacturers and suppliers are reformulating their business strategies to strengthen their footing in the industry. And, for solar photovoltaic specialist Trina Solar, a vertically integrated model is now paying dividends in terms of profit and investor confidence. {pagebreak} Since its debut on… Read more »