- IPVEA Board of Directors 2012
Hamburg, Germany – September 8, 2011. Elections of the director’s board of the International Photovoltaic Equipment Association (IPVEA) took place during the 26th European Photovoltaic Solar Energy Conference and Exhibition (26th EU PVSEC) at the IPVEA members meeting in Hamburg, Germany, on Tuesday, 7 September 2011.
The following board members have reached the end of their first three-year term:
• Sven E. Jarby, president (Oerlikon)
• Andreas Schöni, secretary (Ecolution Engineering)
• Steffen Günther, treasurer (Reis Robotics)
• Richard Grundmüller, vice treasurer (InnoLas)
• Stefan Schiller, vice president (Schiller Automation)
Sven Jarby, Steffen Günther and Stefan Schiller are each running for a second three-year term. Richard Grundmüller and Andreas Schöni have stepped down.
Elke Hoffmann (Jonas & Redmann Group) was nominated and elected as vice treasurer and Ortrun Aßländer (Day4 ecoTec) as secretary on the IPVEA board of directors. Carsten Busch (ABB Automation), Patrick Binkowska (Leybold Optics) and Ludgar Wahlers (Isra Solar Vision) remain on the board as their terms are not yet completed.
On behalf of its members, IPVEA would like to take this opportunity to thank both Richard Grundmüller and Andreas Schöni for their work and commitment these past three years.
- Bryan Ekus, IPVEA MD, meeting Dominique Ristori, JRC Director General, European Commission
- IPVEA Members at EU PVSEC
‘We’ll be back next year. This is a critical global event in the annual PV calendar.’
This was the resounding feedback from IPVEA members and other exhibitors at this year’s EU PVSEC, held in Hamburg, in September, where over 999 international exhibitors along the PV value chain presented products and services.
The industry is now bracing itself for a choppier year ahead. Those who attended the PV Production Forum (see review on page 9 IPVEA newsletter), co-organized by IPVEA and EU PVSEC, were well briefed on the outlook for the next 12 months. Equipment orders will level off but this is a temporary period of adjustment. A fact that the PV industry accepts more readily, compared with other renewable and alternative energy sectors, is that subsidies are not a given and should not be relied upon long-term. This acceptance will enable the PV industry to focus on continuing to achieve economies of scale, enhance efficiencies of modules, push toward longer lifetimes, develop further standards and engage more closely with utilities to establish opportunities for large-scale PV deployment, all of which will contribute to ensuring that PV reaches grid parity sooner.
At the EU PVSEC conference sessions new approaches to PV architecture were presented. PV is increasingly being seen as an effective way to fight the current recession, according to Dr Arnulf Jäger- Waldau, Technical Programme Chairman, European Commission, DG Joint Research Centre, who concluded: ‘so far each PV forecast has underestimated the growth of PV worldwide and future PV scenarios will have to be continuously readjusted to reflect the great advances of the sector.’
Some 4,467 delegates from around the world attended 1,500 scientifi c and technical presentations, covering the entire scope of PV technologies at the EU PVSEC conference. All told attendance for the conference and exhibition combined exceed 40,000 from over 100 countries.
- Bryan Ekus introducing panelist at the 2011 PV Production Forum
- The 1-day event drew 220 delegates
Focus on the latest High-Efficiency PV Production Technologies: IPVEA and EU PVSEC successfully presented PV Production Forum 2011
Hamburg, Germany – September 7, 2011. On Tuesday, 6 September, the PV Production Forum 2011 took place in the framework of the 26th European Photovoltaic Solar Energy Conference and Exhibition (26th EU PVSEC) in Hamburg, Germany. For the second time, the International Photovoltaic Equipment Association (IPVEA) and the EU PVSEC jointly presented this one-day forum that focused on the industrial production of solar cells and modules. The PV Production Forum 2011 was led by top-level managers, chief developing engineers of IPVEA member companies and further industry experts from manufacturers and suppliers of PV fabrication equipment and related raw materials. In three different sessions they presented the latest status and outlook on changing dynamics, processes, and production technology steps in the PV manufacturing supply chain.
Two of the key challenges for the current and future production of PV solar cells modules – means to increase throughput and efficiency as well as cutting down manufacturing costs – were the central themes of the three sessions of the PV Production Forum 2011. The Market Session in the morning covered topics such as the status and the challenges of the global equipment and materials markets. It was kicked off with a presentation by VLSI Research’s John West, followed by the FAB Manager Panel Discussion moderated by Mark Osbourne, Senior Editor PV-Tech.org, with participants from some of the leading PV authorities: Trina Solar Ltd.’s Huang Qiang, Calyxo’s Florian Holzapfel and many more. The second Panel Session, the Equipment Executive Roundtable Discussion, moderated by Hoehner Research & Consulting Group’s Markus Hoehner, was led amongst others by Manz Automation’s Dieter Manz and Applied Solar’s Dr. Charlie Gay. Top-level industry executives provided up-to-the-minute data on the present market conditions alongside insightful information on future industry challenges.
One of the two parallel afternoon sessions that offered numerous presentations about cell and module production addressed to the potential of thin-film technologies: Topics such as deposition of backside passivation layers, glass coating, gas purification as well as line concepts, vertical integration and efficiency improvements on thin-film PV fabs were shared by leading international companies of PV production. With best practice examples and case studies, the Silicon Session featured presentations about the Return on Investment (ROI) of online analyzers, optimized handling, automation, and tracking technologies in mass manufacturing of high-efficiency silicon cells, structuring solutions for cells, improved testing technologies as well as the new connection material SCF Solar Cell Conductive Film.
The PV Production Forum 2011 was well-attended by PV production managers, PV purchasing staff, product managers and further PV specialists. Being one of the numerous EU PVSEC Parallel Events, the forum offered a deep insight on production technologies with an indispensable opportunity for networking across all segments of the PV production industry.
“Based on the success of the recent event, we have the intention to repeat the PV Production Forum in 2012 in Frankfurt,” said Bryan Ekus, Managing Director of IPVEA.
- PV Matrix on iPad
The International Photovoltaic Equipment Association (IPVEA) presented the PV Matrix at the 26th European Photovoltaic Solar Energy Conference and Exhibition (26th EU PVSEC) in Hamburg, Germany. The matrix illustrates and links the complete PV value chain by separating solar technology into five main segments: Silicon, Thin Film, Organic, R&D as well as Installation and power generation. Each of the five segments expands to show categories within that technology and simplifies the process of finding specific information and identifying key suppliers. Visitors of the IPVEA booth at the EU PVSEC industry exhibition enjoyed the hands-on experience of the online tool on the iPad.
The PV Matrix provides the latest data and information on PV industry suppliers, including company overviews, in-depth product information supported by images, videos, data sheets white papers, brochures and more. Every registered member of IPVEA can be set up with an account that enables them to add the organization to the PV Matrix. Due to the fact that PV producers, project developers, investors and other organizations access the online tool, a major benefit for registered companies are enhanced sales opportunities and leads. The matrix is an effective global platform for business promotion; it increases a company’s profile and exposure and supports identifying the key suppliers. With over 80 international PV industry suppliers listed, and growing, the PV Matrix improves networking and interacting with other companies.
The PV online tool has been designed and programmed by the online agency Pixelstein. In order to enable running the matrix on a broad bandwidth of mobile devices, Version 2.0 has been updated to HTML 5 and made ready for use on iPads. The PV Matrix has been optimized for touch-screen operation and is available in the App Store.
- Mr. Andy Chan
- Ms. Michelle Wong
IPVEA has established a new communication office in Hong Kong, demonstrating the association’s long-term commitment to the Greater China and Asia-Pacific markets. With the addition of this site, IPVEA plans to strengthen its international presence as a global association with unparalleled member support.
The new office will be the central hub for promotional activities and sales support for IPVEA members planning to participate in events in China as well as provide translation assistance, shipment coordination and access to meeting rooms for a nominal fee.
IPVEA has contracted key personnel to support its efforts in Asia. Mr. Andy Chan and Ms. Michelle Wong have come on board to provide member assistance that may be required.
IPVEA Asia
Rm 603, APEC Plaza,
49 Hoi Yuen Rd.,
Kwun Tong, HK
Tel: 852-26232317
Andy Chan ac@ipvea.com
Michelle Wong mw@ipvea.com
The PV industry’s future looks bright as more governments around the world look to solar as an abundant, secure source of clean, non-nuclear electricity.
Continual innovation – in materials, processes and production – is critical if the PV industry is to reach its full growth potential and make solar a competitive source of electricity generation in the coming years.
Like many dynamic, technology-driven industries PV is also evolving at a rapid rate, with new players making an entrance as fast as consolidation is occurring in the industry’s more established sections.
To help businesses identify new market opportunities and find the right suppliers and partners, IPVEA has developed an interactive online tool that represents the entire PV supply chain, step-by-step, within each material classification, through to power generation.
Breaking down the value chain so clearly ensures the PV industry is clearly understood and accessible to a wider audience, including manufacturers, project developers, public and private sector investors, module suppliers, contractors and other organisations looking to invest in and develop PV projects.
Visit the PV Matrix at www.matrix.ipvea.org