European BIPV projects grow – but legislation is still urgently needed A recent report has shown that the European Building Integrated Photovoltaics (BIPV) market in last year was estimated at €143 million with a total installed capacity of 25.7 MW for the commercial, residential, industrial and public markets combined. {pagebreak} Currently, there is substantial amount… Read more »
A world-renowned manufacturer within the PV industry, Bruker-Spaleck has built its business upon innovation and diversification. Heinrich Schillings talks to PES about the past, present and future of the company. {pagebreak} PES: Bruker-Spaleck is well-known for its manufacture of flat wires which are used in a variety of applications. Can you tell us something of… Read more »
Going back to basics for massive gains in speed and yield A company built on simple solutions to complex issues, Eurotron offers a complete solution for the photovoltaic module manufacturing process for backside contact cells. They’ve developed a flexible production line which can adapt to your customised production needs, and in doing so, have pioneered… Read more »
24th European Photovoltaic Solar Energy Conference: “The most inspiring platform for the global PV solar sector The health of Europe’s PV industry is reflected in the high demand for space at this year’s Photovoltaic Solar Energy Conference, being held in Hamburg in September, with the total exhibition area booked already exceeding the area of… Read more »
‘They seem to do it well in Germany’ is a familiar phrase that enters into conversation whenever there is a complaint to be made about another country’s industrial shortcomings. Whether it is the automotive sector, the transport system, the manufacture of electrical goods or simply the high standard of living, the Germans always seem to… Read more »
It’s a careful public relations trick. Look at the brochures of electricity companies, check out their websites and watch their adverts and you’ll see green pictures full of wind farms and sunshine, waves pounding on a beach or kites blowing in the air. These are the images that now surround electricity generation. {pagebreak} But however… Read more »
Economic news makes for grim reading these days, and we have entered a new era of corporate austerity. Cost-cutting has become a major focus and belts are being tightened across the board. {pagebreak} For those charged with slashing expenditure it is tempting to simply rush around rationing the stationery, instituting redundancies and slashing the IT… Read more »
12 hours before this magazine went to press, the European Environment Agency published its annual Energy and Environment Report. This wide-ranging snapshot of the industry today is essential reading for executives throughout the renewables industry. PES is proud to present an exclusive extract… {pagebreak} 1 What is the impact of energy production and use on… Read more »
New trade group aims to meet needs of PV manufacturers and suppliers The International Photovoltaic Equipment Association (IPVEA), founded just last year, is an independent organisation of 70 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. {pagebreak} The association’s… Read more »
Growth in energy demand combined with the increasing deterioration of existing energy networks, means energy generation and management are now vitally important. The International Energy Agency’s ‘alternative scenario’ commissioned by the G8 reported that most OECD countries are at a critical point in their energy investment cycles, with the need for replacement enabling them to… Read more »
Automating Solar Manufacturing: Taking Advantage of Lessons Learned Solar Energy and Grid Parity There’s no doubt that the solar photovoltaic (PV) industry is hot. According to Solarbuzz, LLC an international solar energy research and consulting company, world solar photovoltaic (PV) market installations reached a record high of 2,826 megawatts (MW) in 2007, representing a growth… Read more »
WIND AND SOLAR IN THE CARBON MARKET – CURRENT STATUS AND OUTLOOK During the first two weeks of December 2008, Poznan, Poland’s fifth largest city, hosted the United Nations Climate Change Conference, the 14th session of the Conference of Parties (COP 14) to the United Nation Framework Convention on Client Change (UNFCCC). {pagebreak} The negotiations… Read more »
The Mediterranean Solar Plan – a necessity, not an option Benita Ferrero-Waldner, EU Commissioner for External Relations and European Neighbourhood Policy, makes an impassioned plea for the diversification of solar initiatives in Europe. {pagebreak} When Russia cut gas supplies to Ukraine in 2006, European supplies were not seriously affected. When it did so this year,… Read more »
Gases and chemicals contribute a significant part of the bill of materials for PV cells, and as the industry grows, material suppliers will face a number of key challenges to meet demand. Kaytie Lilley of Linde Electronics offers PES an illuminating view of the sector. The production of photovoltaic (PV) electricity has doubled every… Read more »
Copenhagen must build the road to a sustainable global energy future In February, Stavros Dimas, European Commissioner responsible for the environment, delivered an address to EU Sustainable Energy Week 2009, in which he impressed upon delegates the importance of the imminent Copenhagen United Climate Agreement {pagebreak} – described as: “the world’s last chance to bring… Read more »
Renewable energy resources produced 30% of the electricity consumed in Spain in February 2009, a goal set in 2001 by the EU to be reached by 2010 and which seemed impossible just one year ago. This is according to data from the Electric Network reported this week by Spanish Newspaper El Pais. {pagebreak} In 2008… Read more »
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 its financial results for the fourth quarter and fiscal year 2008. {pagebreak} Full Year 2008 Results Financial and Operating Highlights — Solar module shipments were… Read more »
A company built on simple solutions to complex issues, Eurotron offers a complete solution for the photovoltaic module manufacturing process for backside contact cells. They’ve developed a flexible production line which can adapt to your customised production needs, {pagebreak} and in doing so, have pioneered a 100MW line for the future. PES asked company… Read more »
The Research Council of Norway has announced that it will grant funding to eight national research centres for the development of environmentally friendly technologies. Each centre will receive up to NOK 20 million (EUR 2.26 million) a year for five years. {pagebreak} Various topics will be covered during this period, including solar, bioenergy and wind… Read more »
Stockholm and Hamburg were last week named as the first winners of the new European Green Capital award. The Swedish capital will be European Green Capital in 2010 followed by Hamburg in 2011. The European Commission’s new award scheme encourages cities to improve the quality of urban life by taking the environment systematically into account… Read more »
Power and Energy Solutions, the industry-leading publication from P and G Media, is out today. Packed with essential wind analysis, comment and features, this latest issue focuses on the green collar worker shortage. As the industry is acutely aware, there aren’t enough skilled personnel to fill the jobs that will satisfy the environmental requirements of… Read more »
Solar AG (ISIN DE000A0BVU93), a leading photovoltaic system integrator listed on the TecDAX, reached a decision today on a proposal to be put to the Annual General Meeting of Shareholders to raise dividend distribution to EUR 0.30 per share for the financial year 2008 (2007: EUR 0.20). This resolution is subject to the adoption of… Read more »
Bellville Rodair International (BRI) doesn’t just move with the times, it listens to its customers and sets the pace which other freight forwarders try to follow. Just one example of this is the way BRI has led the way in the race to go green. The global demand for renewable energy paved the way two… Read more »
Relight Enerji Üretim, is Relight Group Turkey’s company, received the authorization for three new wind farms in Balikesir, in the North of Turkey. It is expected that the wind farms, totaling about 205 MW, will be operating in 2010 with an overall investment of 300 million Euros. {pagebreak} The Relight activities in Turkey are going… Read more »
Solar power history will be made in Southern California, after it was announced that Southern California Edison and Israeli firm, BrightSource Energy, have signed the world’s largest solar energy deal. Now awaiting approval from the California Public Utilities Commission (this could happen by as early as 2013), the Israeli-California sun project will power almost one… Read more »
5th PV Industry Forum in Munich, May 25 – 26, 2009 International trends in photovoltaics at the PV Industry Forum The photovoltaics market in flux: growing production capacities and altered political and economic parameters {pagebreak} Future developments, prospects and technological trends in the international photovoltaics market will be the focus of the 5th PV Industry… Read more »
Governments around the world have committed more than €160 billion to support renewable energy initiatives despite the economic downturn, according to a Deutsche Bank analysis. Europe, Asia and the US share key investment themes in solar and wind industries, smart grids, electric and hybrid cars, energy efficient buildings and advanced lighting. In addition, 250 new… Read more »
Platts European Renewable Energy2-3 April, 2009Hilton BerlinBerlin, Germany Power & Energy Solutions Subscribers Save €100 {pagebreak} Quote ref: PESEM Register now >> http://www.platts.com/Events/2009/pc981/ There are only 4 weeks left to secure your place at the key event on the renewable energy calendar in 2009! Platts European Renewable Energy will provide attendees with not only an… Read more »
The price of solar panels could fall by as much as 40 per cent by the end of the year as huge increases in polysilicon supplies lead to a sizable fall in production costs for solar panel manufacturers. Industry analyst New Energy Finance reported that polysilicon prices hit a peak of $400 per kilogram last… Read more »
Southfield, MI – Schreiner ProTech is now marketing an array of specialized labels and identification-preparation equipment for solar panels and components. Drawing on its extensive solar product experience in Europe, Schreiner is nowaggressively seeking new customers in North America for its UL/CSA-approved solar labeling solutions. {pagebreak} The manufacturing of photovoltaic (PV) solar modules makes exacting… Read more »
Tokyo Electric Power Co. will build a solar power plant in the state of California through its subsidiary Eurus Energy Holdings Corp., according to a recent report. The company apparently plans to begin operations at the 1000 kilowatt plant by 2010 on a site yet to be selected, the Nikkei business daily reported. {pagebreak} Eurus,… Read more »
The notion of Space-Based Solar Power (SBSP) is not new. There has long been talk of 24-hour-a-day solar power beamed from space via microwave to any point on earth. However, a new company named Space Energy, Inc. believes it well placed to develop SBSP satellites to generate and transmit electricity to receivers on the Earth’s… Read more »
WSI Corp., an Andover-based company behind much of the public weather-prediction data viewed by millions of people every day, has entered into the alternative energy industry with a new product aimed at predicting not just the fluctuations in the wind, but the effect of those fluctuations on wind power. WSI WindCast, which was launched last… Read more »
Scientists at Berkeley University (USA) have this week released research revealing that alternative raw materials, such as iron pyrite – or Fool’s Gold – could offer a far cheaper alternative to silicon for solar panel manufacturers. The rapid growth of the global solar market has been repeatedly hampered by shortages of silicon, which is used… Read more »
The US has inadequate transmission capacity to carry the energy that wind and solar power projects could produce, according to a report by two renewable-energy groups. The wind power projects waiting to be linked to transmission lines could supply 20 percent of the nation’s electricity needs, according to the report issued by the Solar Energy… Read more »
The solar wafer production has high demands on quality control. Automatic optical inspection by machine vision systems is therefore of great importance. The business division of image processing & intra-logistics in Eckelmann AG, Wiesbaden, has developed a system for inline inspection of mono- and polycrystalline raw wafers, which steadily detects errors in geometry, surface defects… Read more »