• IPVEA provides platform for PV and energy storage equipment industries
• Panel Discussions and presentations covered a wide range of PV production and market topics
• Successful third PV Production Forum with high Participation at 27th EU PVSEC
Frankfurt, 28 September 2012 – On Wednesday, 26 September, the PV Production Forum 2012 took place in the framework of the 27th European Photovoltaic Solar Energy Conference and Exhibition (27th EU PVSEC) in Frankfurt, Germany. For the third time, the International Photovoltaic Equipment Association (IPVEA) and the EU PVSEC jointly presented this Parallel Event that addresses PV production best practices and case studies. In total, more than 200 attendees participated in this event. The PV Production Forum 2012 was led by managers and chief developing engineers of IPVEA member companies and further industry experts from manufacturers and suppliers of PV production equipment and related raw materials. In dedicated presentations and panel sessions the latest status and outlook on changing dynamics, processes, and production technology steps in the PV manufacturing supply chain were presented from the manufacturer’s point of view.
Structured in a Market and a Technology Session, high-ranking industry leaders addressed the main challenges of the current and future PV production: to increase the efficiency and cut down manufacturing costs. An outlook presentation on the Solar Industry 2013 by Finlay Colville, Vice President and Team Leader, NPD Solarbuzz, was followed by three panel sessions with representatives from some of the leading PV manufacturers including BYD, Hanwha, KACO, LDK, Manz, Oerlikon, Saft, and Singulus. In the Equipment Panel Session, John West, President, VLSI Research Europe, moderated the discussion of machine concepts and manufacturing processes for the next-generation high-efficiency solar cells. The second Panel Session, moderated by Hoehner Research & Consulting Group’s Markus Hoehner, focused on Energy Storage, a topic of increasing importance for PV technologies. Focal point of the third Panel Session was the transfer of Advanced Technology from the Lab to the Fab.
The Technology Session in the afternoon covered concepts and equipment for the commercial production of the next-generation Organic, thin-film and silicon solar cells. High-efficiency cell concepts, long-term module quality and the potential of thin-film technologies were discussed from leading manufacturers including ALD Vacuum Technologies, Linde, Manz, Rofin-Baasel, Siemens, Sika, Singulus and Vitronic. Industry executives provided up-to-the-minute data on the present market conditions alongside insightful information on future industry challenges.
“The high participation in the third PV Production Forum confirms the success of this platform that offers a deep insight on production technologies with an indispensable opportunity for networking across all segments of the PV production industry”, said Bryan Ekus, Managing Director of IPVEA. “This was the perfect opportunity to promote IPVEA as platform for the PV and energy storage equipment industries.”
For more information and for download of the presentations, please visit www.IPVEA.org.
Background IPVEA
The International Photovoltaic Equipment Association (IPVEA) is 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.
For more information:
International Photovoltaic Equipment Association – IPVEA P.O. Box 771507, Orlando, Florida 32877, USA Managing Director: Bryan Ekus, or German Contact/Press Office Bernhard Krause, Tel: +49-61819828020, Mobile: +49 1709202924