Title Renewable energy—role of corporations
Dr. Jennie S. Hwang
H-Technologies group
Renewable energy—role of
corporations
The solar market is in the trough. Does this manufacturing facilities in an effort to in 1954. It took five decades to reach
mean that the solar industry is inherently cut production cost. The new machines today’s industry after sinking and floating
cyclic, going through the “scary” peak and are able to reduce the raw material among the opposite forces. The next mega-
valley? The solar market could be seasonal requirements in making solar cells. These milestone hinges on the innovation and
but is not an unmanageable cyclic market, big orders helped the sector. Additionally, the speed of innovations in developing new
and not as cyclic as the past four decades’ Germany, as the world’s largest exporter, technologies. Five new clusters of technolo-
semiconductor industry. As discussed in installed new feed-in tariffs with higher gies and know-how are crucial:
my last column, this year’s significant dip degression rate from January 2009 on. • In PV sector, technologies,
largely stems from two mega-events: the Government incentives and support engineering and manufacturing
global economic downturn in a broad scale for the industry are welcome and in some processes that enable the grid
and the abrupt drop in Spain’s solar panel cases are urgently needed to the nascent parity
installation. And what happened in Spain state of the industry. However, should • In PV, economical, flexible,
was a unique and an exceptional event, due the industry rely on governments, and printable cell with desirable
largely to the expiration of feed-in tariff sta- can the industry thrive by relying on the efficiency
tus and the fact that Spain has contributed government support? • Economically viable storage
the largest weight to the 2008 growth in Last week, several of us representing the technologies
the global solar capacity. European’s solar Board of Greater Cleveland Partnership • Technologies synchronizing
boom between 2004 and 2008 amounted (an organization comprising the corporate with power grid
at an annual compounded rate of more CEOs, business and civic leaders of the • Technologies to establish smart
than 54%. In dollars, 2008 reached a area) met with the Treasury Secretary grid
turnover of $37.1 billion, representing a Timothy F. Geithner. In our roundtable The advancement of these areas takes
stunning growth of 110% over the previous conversations and at the Secretary’s request breakthrough technologies as well as incre-
year. With that number as the baseline on for suggestions, I expressed my view that, mental developments, including multi-cell
top of the oversupply resulting from the at this critical junction of global economy efficiency, nano-particule formulation and
overcapacity and sudden demand decline and competitive landscape, how our new materials. The required efforts are
led to the precipitous 2009 market drop. government sets the forthcoming policies relentless; however, potential rewards are
However, even in the economic is critically important to the country. huge. With support from both government
doldrums, there are manifold forward- One check point is to ask an opportune and the private sector, the ingenuity em-
looking business activities and sporadic question: “What has made the U.S.A. bedded in the U.S. science and technology
bright spots. Joint ventures and the superpower in the century?” Being community should place the U.S. at the
collaborative efforts are being formed in deliberate and thoughtful, with a holistic leading edge of this global industry.
solar facilities and product developments approach, in answering this question
intended to get companies prepared for before making new policies will acutely Market share vs. immediate profits
economic recovery. These companies shape up the debate and lead to sound In recent years, especially this year amid
are poised to reap rewards. One bright policies not only serving today’s needs the down market and the depressed corpo-
spot, as an example, comes from German but also the future. The secretary smiled rate profit margin, the business strategy in
machinery manufacturers. These and extemporaneously reacted: “…the targeting between market share and bottom
manufacturers, who provide machines to innovation…the investment in science and line profits is an important corporate
the solar cell manufacturers to produce technology is the key to the country….” strategic decision. Mimicking Japanese
solar power components, reported a 60% Indeed, the economy is inseparable automakers’ strategy in 1980s, some solar
sales increase in the first quarter of 2009 from the science and technology. companies are set to emphasize on market
compared with the same quarter of the share retention and growth at the expense
prior year. This is the result of Asian Innovation vs. pV industry of immediate profits. They have taken
companies’ actions in upgrading their The photovoltaic solar cell was invented the strategy of building factories on the
6 – Global Solar Technology – October/September 2009
www.globalsolartechnology.com
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