A specialist photovoltaic installation company opens its capital

An 8-person business (2010 turnover: €4 million) with a strong presence in Rhône-Alpes is looking to open up its capital to ensure its future development. The firm carries out project studies and project management for all types of photovoltaic installation, using the skills built up by the firm and its approved partners to successfully and efficiently complete projects throughout France. Since it was founded, the firm has specialized in roof-mounted photovoltaic installations for private individuals and industry; however, it has recently diversified into thermal solar installations, energy performance and housing improvement.
Contact: Delphine CHERPIN - + 33 (0)4 79 25 36 12 - delphine.cherpin@savoie-entreprise.com

Forecasts for the world's major markets by Solar PV TV

Forecasts for the world's major markets by Solar PV TV
Interviews with leading figures from the solar energy sector, carried out at PV SEC 2011 in Hamburg, have allowed Solar PV TV to produce forecasts for the world's main solar energy markets:
-Germany - 5 GW
-Italy - 3 GW of market demand (7 GW of installations initiated in 2010)
-USA -1.8 GW
-France - 1.3 GW (including installations initiated in 2010)
-China 1.3-1.6 GW
-Japan 1.1 GW
-Korea - 130 MW
-India - 800-900 MW (ending fiscal year in March 2012)
2012 estimates can be obtained by watching the Solar PV TV report:

Solar energy in extreme environments

INES is contributing to the reconstruction of the Goûter mountain hut in the Mont Blanc Range by providing the French Alpine Club with advice on energy-efficient architecture and the production of solar energy. INES will carry out remote monitoring of the installations in order to obtain continuous feedback on their performance.

BISOL opens a subsidiary in France

BISOL is a Slovenian manufacturer of photovoltaic modules with an annual production capacity of 60 MW. Forty percent of the company's staff are disabled. BISOL is continuing its international development by opening a sales office at Savoie Technolac. This local presence will enable the company to meet the specific needs of the French market. The Agence Economique de la Savoie helped BISOL find suitable premises and recruit a manger for the subsidiary.
Philippe DURAND-FALCOZ - philippe.durand-falcoz@bisol.fr

L SOL, specialist in photovoltaic solar roofs

The young and dynamic Spanish company L SOL specialized in photovoltaic and solar thermal chose Savoie to expand its activity in France. Created in 2005, the company counts 12 employees in Spain for a turnover of '6 millions.
LSOL deals with the feasibility study, the engineering and the construction of solar installations, as well as the financial engineering, the maintenance and the operation of the projects.
The company chose Savoie for the proximity and the synergy with various key players in the French solar sector and also for the quality of Savoie Technolac's infrastructures and the dynamism of the Rhône-Alpes Market.
The support for the setting up proposed by the Agence Economique de la Savoie and its partners also made the difference in the strong competition of other areas for the attraction of new businesses.
Jean-Marc EYRAUD ' 06 84 69 07 88 ' jeanmarc@lsol.fr

INES EDUCATION: practical feedback complements research

INES EDUCATION is the National Solar Energy Institute's training, expertise and technical information branch. One of its projects has been to develop 'TéléSuiWeb', a computer program that uses the data provided by water and energy meters to monitor the performance of individual or collective solar water heaters. In order to check that their installation is functioning correctly all users have to do is read the meters and enter the readings into the TéléSuiWeb website. The program then compares this real data with the theoretical performance of the system. In Rhône-Alpes, 'TéléSuiWeb' is currently being used to monitor 170 installations providing hot water to 5,000 people. Similar systems are being set up in other regions of France.
INES EDUCATION shares the data provided by 'TéléSuiWeb' with manufacturers and installers, in order to help them size new installations. INES EDUCATION has developed other tools for evaluating the energy, economic and environmental advantages of solar installations. They are free and available online.

New solar-electricity feed-in tariffs: the ministerial order is signed

The government has ended the uncertainty about feed-in tariffs by setting new rates for electricity from renewable sources, including solar electricity. The order, signed on 14th January 2010, maintains the tariff of 58 Euro cents/kWh for 'building-integrated' PV installations in buildings used for housing, education and health purposes, and increases the tariff to 50 Euro cents/kWh for other buildings (industrial, commercial, agricultural, etc). For 'simplified building-integrated' installations the tariff has been set at 42 Euro cents/kWh, whereas the tariff for electricity from ground installations remains at 31.4 Euro cents/kWh, although this can vary depending on where the installation is located.
Website of the Ministry of the Economy, Energy, Sustainable Development and the Sea.