NEWS I ROUNDUP
Innotech Solar delivers over 13,000 solar modules for solar power station
A 3.1 megawatt peak (MWp) solar power station has gone online in Nauen near Berlin, Germany. With an annual electricity production of 3.1 million KWh it will supply energy to approx. 800 households. The entire workforce for construction of the solar project was drawn from the region – especially from the town of Nauen itself.
The solar park was developed on a former building rubble tip belonging to Nauen and dating back to pre-war times. Because of the unstable ground conditions, heavy machinery was needed to clear the 80,000 m2
site before adding
a 20 cm layer of topsoil to protect against erosion. Work on preparing the ground began in late January, with construction of the solar installation beginning in March.
A workforce of over 20 recruited from local companies handled the groundwork, electrical cabling and framework and module assembly.
The Norwegian manufacturer Innotech Solar (ITS) supplied over 13,000 photovoltaic modules for the power station. The modules are particularly environmentally friendly, consisting of solar cells which had been rejected due to defects. Innotech Solar then used a laser-assisted process to restore their full performance power. “Our modules have an extra small carbon footprint. The production of modules with conventional solar cells consumes around 90% more energy than the production of ITS modules, which are made of optimized solar cells,” explains
Dr. Thomas Hillig, Director Sales & Marketing EMEA. “So I am delighted that a particularly green solar project is going live.”
The planning and project management for the ‘Solarpark Ludwig-Jahn-Strasse’ was handled by the mdp Group from Oldenburg, which will also operate the solar power station. This was the fourth solar park to be created by the company in the Nauen area, bringing the total output from free-standing installations to 13 MWp.
“We made the deliberate decision to employ only workers from the region. It was important for us to install modules from a European manufacturer instead of equipment from China,” says Hans- Helmut Kutzeer, CEO of the mdp Group. “Innotech Solar was recommended to us by an independent expert because the company can supply European quality modules at competitive prices thanks to its special production methods.”
Inventux Technologies face difficult days ahead
THE wave of bankruptcies has now also hit Inventux Technologies AG. The Berlin- based company is technologically leading in the manufacturing of toxic-free and highly efficient thin-film modules. It has filed for insolvency at the Local Court in Berlin-Charlottenburg. After initial talks with management members, solicitor Rolf Rattunde will continue the business with over 200 employees as temporary insolvency administrator and is now looking for investors for the modern company with its sustainable micromorph technology.
The dramatic price drop on the solar market also strikes technology leaders like Inventux. In the current situation, even silicon-based thin-film modules with highest efficiencies cannot be produced at break-even, as the Asian competition is subsidized massively.
“The situation of Inventux is linked with the broader question whether Germany can sustain future-oriented technologies like silicon-based thin-film modules or
whether Asian manufacturers with dumping prices below production costs succeed in squeezing globally leading manufacturers from the market. The prices on the solar market are currently so low that an economically reasonable price policy does not exist anymore - it can actually only get better. Politics seems to recognize the gravity of the situation. Therefore, Inventux offers good opportunities for investors who look to the long term” declared the temporary insolvency administrator Prof. Rolf Rattunde of the Berlin-based law firm Leonhardt. “As a system provider with a high sales and marketing competence, Inventux is well positioned and offers sustainable and innovative products with an awarded design.
The installation of the aesthetically pleasing products is also easy and time- saving. In the coming days, we will therefore approach investors. Currently we are organizing the continuation of the company. Orders will be processed in the usual manner.”
Inventux was founded in 2007 by four experienced solar managers. In 2008, the company already started the first series production of micromorph thin-film solar modules in Europe and in 2010 raised the efficiency of their modules to 10 percent. Micromorph thin-film modules are based on gaseous silicon (silane) which can be obtained and processed easily and environmentally friendly. Compared to crystalline solar modules, less than half of primary energy is used. Also, micromorph thin-film modules are 100% environmentally compatible.
Issue IV 2012 I
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