Exclusive Articles
Commercial success fills vacuum at Pfeiffer
Dr Matthias Wiemer, Member of the Management Board and COO of Pfeiffer Vacuum Technology AG tells PES about recent developments, including some major acquisitions, within the successful German-based company. PES: Welcome to PES magazine. Can you begin by explaining a little about the company and how you serve the PV industry?Matthias Wiemer: Founded in 1890,… Read more »
Capitalising on the ever-growing worldwide PV market
Andy Tuan was recently appointed General Manager of PV in Asia for Air Products, to enhance customer engagement and emphasise the company’s growing commitment to facilitate strong growth in the region. Here, PES speaks to Andy about the company and how its local operations dovetail into a global strategy. PES: Welcome back to PES. When… Read more »
Ceramics give the industry a bright future
The emerging solar technology industry faces increased pressure to drive down production costs, increase efficiencies and thus increase competitiveness in the marketplace. Jaime Schmitt, Phil McGraw and Kevin McAloon look at the growing use of ceramics in solar cell production, which is bringing grid parity for solar power closer than ever before. World energy consumption… Read more »
Powering into energy-efficiency market
With investment totalling £6m and a substantial contract win from a housing association under his belt, it’s no wonder former group managing director of Scottish & Southern Energy (SSE), Adrian Pike, is feeling positive about the future. He has taken an ambitious leap from the corporate world into the rapidly expanding solar and energy efficiency… Read more »
Solar photovoltaic electricity in the UK: lessons from the European experience
Solar Photovoltaic (PV) electricity is poised to become a significant and competitive supplier to the European electricity market. The UK has traditionally lagged behind markets like Germany, however, the introduction of a Feed in Tariff (FiT) is changing the scene. Whilst boosting the share of PV can contribute to reaching the UK’s ambitious renewable energy… Read more »
Economic Downturn Bites Into Germanys PV Industry
The reduction in Feed-in Tariffs and an overall declining economic climate along with a less than sympathetic Federal government are combining to make the going tough for Germany’s PV industry with many manufacturers now looking to increase their markets substantially abroad. PES reports on a difficult situation in the country that many others looked to… Read more »
Metallization still holds most promise for solar cell efficiency
In the complex series of processes that are undertaken to create a fully-functioning solar cell from an ingot of pure silicon, it is generally accepted that advances in the metallization process hold the key to greater cell efficiency. In this area DEK Solar focuses its talents exclusively on the process and is rapidly emerging as… Read more »
Enviable growth spurs on control technique specialists
Andy Green has worked for Emerson Control Techniques for 25 years, holding various positions including those of Systems Sales Director and General Manager. For the past three years, in the position of Industry Development Manager – Solar Inverters, he has channelled his knowledge of grid tie inverter applications in support of Emerson’s goal of becoming… Read more »
Setting the new supplier standard
Customer needs are continually evolving and business requirements are forever changing. Nowhere is this more apparent than with the renewable energy industry. For Luvata, an early pioneer in the photovoltaic (PV) industry, a lot has changed in just a few short years. In this frank interview, Jussi Helavirta, Executive Vice-President of Luvata’s Special Products division… Read more »
To stay ahead of the PV pack, select the right vacuum
A venerable German company with a longstanding reputation for the development of application- and customer-specific systems for the creation of vacuums and extraction of processing gases, Oerlikon Leybold Vacuum is well-known throughout the industry. Here, PES speaks to Kavreet Bhangu, Global Head of Market Segment Solar / SEMI / Coating, about how the company has… Read more »