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 »