The International Photovoltaic Equipment Association (IPVEA), a non-profit organization of manufacturers and suppliers of photovoltaic (PV) fabrication equipment and related raw materials used in PV ingot, wafer, cell (crystalline and thin-film), and panel manufacturing, announces that it has expanded its remit to help its members explore opportunities in energy storage.
Already a sizeable market, much larger opportunities are influencing the development of new energy storage technologies to meet complex and diverse storage demands, including renewable and decentralized energy production and electric vehicle/transportation infrastructure. According to Pike Research, in 2015 the total market value for smart energy and smart energy storage combined will be $420 billion, a 90 percent increase in a four-year period.
IPVEA’s decision to expand is a result of consultation with many of the association’s members, including a survey earlier this year. Collectively, PV equipment vendors have extensive expertise and knowledge acquired from designing tools for mass manufacturing across a diverse range of high-tech industries, including flat panel displays (FPD), LEDs, semiconductor packaging, automotive and pharmaceutical packaging. This know-how can play a vital role in reducing the cost of energy storage technologies and products. Several of IPVEA’s members, such as ABB, Manz, Jonas & Redmann, Oerlikon, Reis Robotics and Applied Materials, are developing tools for energy storage device production.
IPVEA’s Managing Director Bryan Ekus states, “We all understand how to harvest energy from the sun, but storing this energy is the missing piece of the puzzle for the renewable energy marketplace.”
IPVEA is well placed to leverage its extensive partnerships network, encompassing providers of conferences & exhibitions, news & media, and market intelligence to assist its members in finding out information on energy storage/smart grid markets, technologies and applications.
