For many, 2012 will go down as a watershed year for the solar/PV industry – and yet we’ve still got a couple of months to go! With that in mind, we’ve brought together a roster of some of the finest minds in the industry, and pitched them a selection of challenging questions. Their answers are in equal parts engaging, illuminating, educating – and sometimes surprising.
Contributors
Gareth Hackett
Director Business Development EMEA, Hareon Solar
Clemens Jargon
Head of Global Sales and Product Management, Q.Cells
Andy Watts
UK Sales Manager, Sharp Solar
Stuart Tison
Vice President, Industrial Solutions, Entegris, Inc.
Ben Hill
Head of Europe, Trina Solar
Wolfgang Schürgers
CSO, Arnold Gruppe
Zhe Jiang
CEO, Upsolar
Peter Pauli
CEO, Meyer Burger Technology Ltd.
PES: Welcome to the magazine. Before we head into the main subject of the day, can you tell us a little about your company and how it serves the industry?
Gareth Hackett: Hareon is a vertically integrated c-Si cell & module manufacturer with more than $1billion of revenue in 2011. We traditionally had a focus on the OEM market for leading European companies, such as our joint-venture with SCHOTT Solar, but are increasingly offering our own high quality products to the market via professional distribution channels. We are active across the solar value chain from ingot casting through to downstream project development where we grid connected more than 100MW in the last six months. We listed in Shanghai in February 2012 and currently have a market capitalisation which is more than three times some of our closest global peers and our great financial situation enables us to plan for sustainable future growth.
Ben Hill: Trina Solar is a leading integrated manufacturer of solar PV products. We are a genuinely global company, with regional HQs in Zurich, San Jose, and Singapore, 17 local branch offices, and local personnel who know the peculiarities of their local markets and customers. A fully globalised supply chain enables us to maintain an industry-leading cost structure, and Europe and the USA are our major sales regions.
Rather than focusing exclusively on manufacturing modules, we provide a full range of solutions with the needs of installers firmly in mind, from the manufacture of the modules themselves to installation solutions and services like our Partner Plus programme and Training Academy. We pride ourselves on our innovative approach to technology, products, and solutions, and in that spirit we have partnered with leading technology innovators around the world – including the Lotus Formula One Team, who we are helping to work towards a sustainable and environmentally responsible future.
