User:Roeder.S./Solar-Fabrik

Solar-Fabrik AG is one of the world’s most experienced solar companies, and has trade relations across the entire globe. The company provides full system solutions comprising modules through inverters and assembly systems to the monitoring of energy yields.

Solar power plants made by the zero-emissions certified factory in Freiburg are characterized by extremely high energy yields and excellent durability. Freiburg im Breisgau is home to the Solar-Fabrik headquarters, and is where its two factories manufacture crystalline solar modules. Production at Solar-Fabrik is fuelled entirely using renewable resources. Since 1998, the company has ranked among the few worldwide to adopt a CO2-neutral, “zero-emissions” approach.

The range of products includes modules with different power ratings of between 125 and 240 Watt-peak for both roof-mounted and roof-integrated installation. In addition, Solar-Fabrik supplies the convert T range of inverters (manufactured by Kostal Industrie Elektrik) with outputs ranging from 3 to 10 kilowatts (kW), as well as its proprietary, patented Profilink mounting system and various accessories. The company’s own system monitoring web portal, www.convert-control.de completes the product range.

Specialist solar companies, distributors and installers in numerous countries are among the company’s clients. A new facility is due to open in France at the end of 2010.

History
Following its establishment as a GmbH (limited liability company) in 1996 by solar pioneer Georg Salvamoser, Solar-Fabrik initially produced its wares in the factories of collaborative partner AstroPower (today GE Energy) in the U.S. Later, in October 1997, the company started operation of its first in-house production line for solar modules in Freiburg. In 1998 Georg Salvamoser was awarded Germany’s most prestigious environmental prize. Then in 1999 the company moved into new premises on Freiburg’s Munzinger Strasse, which gained renown as Europe’s first zero-emissions factory. In the years that followed, the young company grew at a rapid pace. July 2002 saw the company, which by now had around 100 employees, converted into an AG (stock corporation) and then floated on the stock market later that year. A second production site was also inaugurated during 2002.

Though initially purely a manufacturer of solar modules, in 2005 and 2006 Solar-Fabrik’s attention focused on turning the company into an integrated solar group. This new direction became necessary as raw materials supply across the entire industry was squeezed by acute silicon shortages. The aim now became to cover the entire value chain, from trading solar wafers through wafer processing and cell production to module manufacture. To this end, in July 2005 Solar-Fabrik purchased GEWD, a trading company specializing in wafers, and one year later, on July 1, 2006, secured a 33.3% share in cell manufacturer SEP. This was increased to 90% in 2007. In October 2006, the company concluded a purchase contract for an 80% stake in OJAS Energy Ltd. The Indian firm Poseidon, which specializes in processing cells and wafers, is a subsidiary of OJAS. OJAS later changed its corporate name to Solar-Fabrik Silicon Services Ltd.

2008/2009 saw a crucial improvement in raw material availability, and prices for silicon and cells fell. As a consequence, the company decided to re-focus solely on its key expertise of module manufacturing, and thus fully relinquished the wafer trading and wafer processing branch of its business.

In March 2009, a further, highly automated factory for module production was opened in Freiburg Hochdorf. Commissioning this third solar module production site boosted Solar-Fabrik’s manufacturing capacity to a total of 130 MW. This capacity grew during the third quarter of 2010 to 210 MW.

During 2010 the company intensified its activities in Italy and France, and opened a new facility in Lyon.

Solar-Fabrik currently has a staff of around 400 employees at its site in Freiburg.

Executive Board Solar-Fabrik AG

 * Günter Weinberger, Chief Executive Officer
 * Martin Friedrich, Chief Financial Officer
 * Dr. Freddy Goh, Chief Technical Officer
 * Martin Schlenk, Martin Schlenk, Chief Operating Officer

Solar Energy Power Pte. Ltd. (SEP)

 * Share: 90% (Stand: 01/2008)
 * Location: Singapur
 * Production: Cell manufacturer

Weblinks

 * http://solar-fabrik.com

categories:Photovoltaics (Germany) categories:Company (Freiburg im Breisgau)