Companies
Manufacturer
CIAT (Serrières-en-Chautagne - Savoie) – http://www.ciat.fr/
Turnover 2007: €234million, with 52% from exports
2,200 employees, including 1,387in Rhône-Alpes
CIAT is the biggest supplier to the French air-conditioning and air handling markets. The group spends 4.5% of its turnover on research and development and its 4500-m2 research and development laboratory is one of the biggest in the industry. CIAT covers all sectors of the building market (housing, industry) and offers solutions for interior climate comfort (air handling units, air conditioning terminal units, air purification units, etc) and heat energy transfer (heat exchangers, air-conditioning and heating systems, etc.).
CLIPSOL (Aix-les-Bains - Savoie) – http://www.clipsol.fr/
Turnover: €14.6 million
139 employees
CLIPSOL is France’s leading solar heating (individual and collective) company, with a market share of 25%. The company has benefited greatly from 30-years’ experience and innovation and from the long-awaited take-off in its markets, which are now doubling from one year to the next. Since its creation, CLIPSOL has continued to develop innovative solutions. At the end of 2006, CLIPSOL launched its new solar water heater concept, a product that is extremely compact and easy to install.
And CLIPSOL has no intention of stopping there. New projects under development include a solar cooling system that should be on the market in three or four years.
Group turnover in 2007: €110 million
396 employees
Since 2006 FERROPEM has been developing an innovative production process for manufacturing photovoltaic quality silicon. Based at Savoie Technolac, the project is being carried out in partnership with the CEA, the CNRS and APOLLON SOLAR. Once the process has been perfected, the objective is to set up a production facility that will be able to supply silicon directly to the photovoltaic industry. Through its subsidiary FERROPEM, FERROATLANTICA is the world's leading producer of silicon metal.
Photowatt Technologies (Bourgoin-Jallieu - Isère) - http://www.photowatt.com/
Turnover: €135 million, with 70% from exports
734 employees
A manufacturer of solar photovoltaic plates, cells and modules for more than 30 years, Photowatt supplies turnkey solar systems for all types of installation throughout the world. During the last 18 months, Photowatt has taken on 150 new staff and its order books are full for the next 18 months. Photowatt’s cell and module production development projects have been backed by the ADEME for 30 years and the company is also the main stimulator and beneficiary of the work carried out by CNRS and university multi-crystalline silicon research laboratories.
Vincent Industrie (Brignais - Rhône) - http://www.vincent-industrie.com/
Turnover 2007: €14 million - Provisional 2008: €20 million
Staff 2007: 25 - Provisional 2008: 28
2007 staff for the group: 80
VINCENT INDUSTRIE manufactures forming equipment for copper bars for electric motors and alternators, and for automated production lines for solar photovoltaic modules. Its 10-person R&D team at Brignais works on solar photovoltaic and electrical energy projects. VINCENT INDUSTRIE is in the process of producing and selling a prototype solar module assembly line, using the new NICE process developed by Apollon Solar, for the CEA's module laboratory at the INES.
Distributer
IBC SOLAR (Le Bourget du Lac – Savoie) – http://www.ibc-solar.fr/
Dimensioning, design and production of large photovoltaic power plants
The IBC SOLAR Group has specialized in large photovoltaic power plants for almost 25 years and has operations in several countries. The company is targeting the promising French market, concentrating on building integrated photovoltaics (BIPV) for industry and local authorities through its new French subsidiary, which was set up at the Savoie Technolac technology park in May 2006.
IBC SOLAR SAS’s priority is to create partnerships with local companies and universities in order to develop synergies.
Solarforce S.A (Bourgoin Jallieu – Isère) – http://www.solarforce.fr/
12 employees, including 3 research staff
Claude Remy, the founder and former managing director of Photowatt, created Solarforce in 2003. His new company is to invest €3 million (provided by the two founders, friends, an FCPI and Oséo-Anvar & MRT) to develop a silicon band technology that reduces by 50-75% the amount of silicon needed to produce photovoltaic cells.
Engineering, Consultants
Apollon Solar (Lyon - Rhône) – http://www.apollonsolar.com/
A research and development company specializing in innovative processes for the photovoltaic industry – a 50%-owned subsidiary of EDF Energies Nouvelles (part of the EDF Group).
The company is one of four partners in the Photosil solar-quality silicon production project, alongside Ferropem, the world leader in metallurgical silicon production, the CEA and the CNRS. A pilot production line has been set up near the INES at Savoie Technolac.
Apollon Solar is also the initiator and coordinator of the Nice automatic module production project, which is being carried out in partnership with Vincent Industrie of Lyon.
Cythelia (Le Bourget du Lac – Savoie) - http://www.cythelia.fr/
Turnover 2007: €219 K, with 75% from solar energy and 10% from exports (Spain, USA)
Staff 2007: 4 - Provisional 2008: 7
CYTHELIA has seen substantial growth. In 2007 the firm advised the city of Chambéry on where to install PV roofs, helped the CEA set up demonstration houses at the INES, contributed to 2 R&D programs financed by the ANR and helped a major glass manufacturer perfect glass for the photovoltaic industry.
Inddiggo (Chambéry - Savoie) – www.inddigo.com
Experts in environmental management, energy and waste management
Installer
Eco’alternative (Le Bourget du Lac - Savoie) – http://www.ecoalternative.com/
Installation and distribution of solar energy and geothermal heating equipment
Everbat (Chambéry – Savoie)
Design, production, optimization, remote monitoring and financing of thermal or electrical energy systems
Other
Tenesol (La Tour de Salvagny - Rhône) - http://www.tenesol.com/
Tenesol, the world’s biggest photovoltaic equipment manufacturer, is continuing its vertical integration.
First and foremost a developer and equipment manufacturer, Tenesol supplies complete, turnkey solar photovoltaic systems through a rapidly expanding network of approved suppliers and fitters.
Tenesol has developed a wide range of systems that allow photovoltaic electricity to be integrated into buildings: photovoltaic roofs, sun-screens, glass canopies, etc.
The fruit of the transfer of Péchiney Rhenalu/Alcan Rollbond to CGA (Compagnia Generale Alluminio SpA), Rubanox Chambéry produces rollbond heat exchangers for refrigerators and hot or cold air exchangers for thermal solar panels.
