23rd EU PVSEC Preview

Global PV Industry taking planes, trains, automobiles, and perhaps boats to Valencia for “the most important international Event in the field of Photovoltaics”.

The 23rd European Photovoltaic Solar Energy Conference and Exhibition (EU PVSEC) opens Monday, September 1, 2008 (Labor Day!), and runs through the Closing Ceremony at Noon on Friday, September 5, 2008, located at the Feria Valencia Convention and Exhibition Centre in Valencia, Spain.

While the Conference Dinner is booked, it appears Conference Registration is still possible. Per custom, the Welcome Letter has been emailed to Registered Conference Delegates and will also be included in the Conference Bag. Please consult the Overview on the venue and Practical Information for the layout of the Feria and information about Valencia.

Here’s the entire Conference Program Outline including:

• Oral and Plenary Presentations: Sorted By Days or By Topic
• Visual Presentations: By Days (Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday)
• All posters can be presented from Monday through Thursday this year.
• Conference Side Events including:
• Seminar „meeting the challenges of the GigaWatt fab“
• Grid Parity and Beyond - Workshop organized by IEA PVPS
• 5th European PV Industry Forum (Draft Program)
• Access to the 5th European PV Industry Forum organized by EPIA with WIP-Renewable Energies is free and registration is not required.

In addition, EPIA (European Photovoltaic Industry Association) has organized the following Activities:

• EPIA Industry Area
• Located at the EPIA stand in Hall 1/D7 with the Speed Networking zone and the Presentation and Workshop zone featuring the Alliance for Rural Electrification Workshop (Program), and PV CYCLE (“European Association for Voluntary Take-Back and Recovering of Photovoltaic Modules”) presentations.
• B2B Workshops
• Grid Parity – two words, many different meanings
• Development of Leading European Markets - Policy up-date
• New requirements for grid connection
• EPIA Beach Party
• Billed as an exclusive “invitation only” event on Thursday, September 4, 2008, after the close of the exhibition.
• EPIA Open Bar
• The EPIA Open Bar, a new tradition from Milan, returns Tuesday and Wednesday from 17:30 to19:00 (5:30 to 7:00 PM) to facilitate informal meetings, networking and relaxation.

About 600 exhibitors covering 48000 square meters of space have booked the Feria Valencia for the 23rd EU PVSEC. The Exhibition will is open Monday, September 1, 2008, through Thursday, September 4, 2008, from 09:00 to 18:00 (9:00 AM to 6:00PM). Best of all, visiting the 23rd EU PVSEC Exhibition is free with registration available onsite.

Here are the List of Exhibitors, Exhibition hall layouts, and mappings:

• List of Exhibitors: A-D, E-H, I-M, N-R, S-T, U-Z
• Hall Layouts: Hall 1, Hall 2, Hall 3, Hall 4
• Alphabetical Exhibitor Listing with Stand
• Numerical Stand Listing with Exhibitor

This year, the Becquerel Prize 2008 will be awarded at the Closing Session instead of the Opening Session (please see “22nd EU PVSEC Opens”). Maybe this will encourage more attendance on the last day of the Conference?

This YouTube video titled “Valencia” appears to be a bootleg from the official TURISMO VALENCIA Convention Bureau Download section with Videos, Digital Guides, and PDFs.

Solar Light Flashes: July 22, 2007

Select Photovoltaic News Tidbits

Intersolar 2007 and 2006 California Clean Tech Open (CCTO) companies have dominated Blog coverage over the past month. It’s time to get back to covering staple companies and topics although there are follow up Intersolar 2007 and PV Industry Forum 2007 posts plus SEMICON West coverage in the works.

Applied Materials:
Applied Materials Names Chris Eberspacher to Lead Advanced Solar Research and Development lends support to the notion that things may not be so rosy at Nanosolar. Dr. Eberspacher left Nanosolar just over one month ago.

Blue Square Energy (BSE):
Alan Swanson Joins Blue Square Energy as Vice President of Manufacturing Operations bringing thirty years of experience from Tyco Electronics and the former AMP, Inc. To complete the management team in preparation for a potential IPO, BSE needs to name a VP of Engineering or CTO or both.

CMC Magnetics Corp:
Following the Moser Baer model, CMC Magnetics, the largest Taiwanese maker of optical media, is setting up a subsidiary, Sun Well Technology, to produce thin film solar modules in Taiwan. Information from industry sources (rumors) allege the 100MWp facility will be equipped by Oerlikon Solar.

Cool Earth Solar:
I stumbled on this video animation titled Inflatable Solar Collectors on YouTube. I don’t know the origin of the animation, but this appears genuine.

HyCore:
Norsk Hydro ASA (NYSE:NHY) and the Umicore Group (EBR:UMI) have formed the HyCore joint venture to produce solar grade silicon from metallurgical silicon using a process first researched by Umicore. €26 million will be invested to construct a 20 metric ton pilot plant at Herøya, in Porsgrunn, Norway, by 2008. If proven successful, a larger facility will be constructed at the same site to produce industrial scale volumes by 2010.

Umicore has about 90% market share in Germanium (Ge) substrate wafers required for compound semiconductors like III-V Triple Junction solar cells used in High Concentration Photovoltaic systems.

NJCEP:
Updated CORE Queues every two weeks now? CORE Queue > 10kw July 13, 2007 (greater than 10kW), CORE Queue <= 10kw July 13, 2007 (less than or equal to 10kW), Public Non K-12 Schools CORE Queue July 13, 2007, and Public K-12 Schools CORE Queue July 13, 2007 are available. An Updated 2007 CORE Budget July 13, 2007 shows the under funded status details of the main CORE Queues, and the Comment Summary: New Jersey Renewable Energy Solar Market Transition Straw Proposal has a number of company and policy centric comments and counter proposals.

A fresh new look for the NJCEP website is due by August 1, 2007.

Oerlikon Solar:
I heard Oerlikon Solar was briefing press (though not this blogger!) about a significant announcement. I have no idea what it is, but speculations include ersol or Schott in official production, more new orders like CMC Magnetics, or could Micromorph tools be shipping?

Solar Newsletter No. 2, July 17, 2007, was distributed at SEMICON West but is not yet on the Oerlikon Solar website at post time.

PV Cycle:
Per the EPIA (European Photovoltaic Industry Association) Newsletter, SOLARIS, the PV CYCLE association created on 5th July 2007 by founding members: Avancis, BSW, Conergy, EPIA, Isofotón, Schott Solar, SolarWorld, and Sulfurcell. An executive board was appointed to prepare for the first General Assembly meeting of the PV Cycle association scheduled for September 18, 2007, in Brussels, Belgium. Interested companies are welcome to apply for membership in the PV CYCLE association and membership information should be forthcoming to EPIA members.

Sol3g, S.L.:
In Sol3g makes a 1 kWp pilot installation financed by Solúcar, an Abengoa subsidiary, the company announced an agreement with Solúcar Energia, S.A., for a 1kWp (kilowatt-peak) HCPV (High Concentration PhotoVoltaic) system pilot installation. Another 20kWp of HCPV modules (M40?) will be supplied for mounting on Solúcar’s own two-axis tracker. Both of these systems will be located in the Solar Platform of Sanlúcar la Mayor, Sevilla, Spain.

SunPower:
And SunPower CEO Tom Werner Named Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year 2007 Award Recipient in Northern California would not be my first choice since I believe the PowerLight acquisition is an expensive distraction from increasing SunPower’s production of the highest efficiency, back contact, monocrystalline solar cells and modules. Why was Ernst & Young LLP not disclosed as being the independent auditor of PowerLight Corporation’s financials from 2005 and 2006? Although the award claims to use a panel of independent judges, how were the initial nominations made?

The SPR-315 datasheet is now online at the SunPower website.

Given the accelerated velocity of photovoltaic and solar activity, I don’t envy publications trying to cover every aspect of the PV Industry. I’ll stick with this Blog’s established format of looking for areas less covered or where I can add insight and commentary.