AM – David Munster PR man at Solar World (Freiberg)
- Early start and approx 1 hr 30.ins drive to plant on the outskirts of Freiberg
- Started off with a good presentation by David (in English). This summarised the company’s short but meteoric rise to a major player on the world’s stage in wafer, cell and panel manufacturing. In 10 short years we have a company that starts with a sheep in an empty field to supplying 20% of the world’s wafer demand.
- David was very warm and positive and I don’t think that it was all a PR front – he seems genuinely excited and so he should be – working for such an enterprise invites, almost demands, a feel-good effect.
- Though we were not allowed to take photos at the production plant the tour was very interesting and quite frankly astounding at some levels. Numbers that spring to mind apart from those mentioned above; 40% of materials used are re-cycles leading to a 30% cost reduction. Panels working in the range of 200-240 W per panel guaranteed at 82% performance after 25 years.
- The whole experience was extremely rewarding and the hospitality shown by our host was fantastic. My heart felt thanks for all those involved from arranging to actually hosting.
PM – Dresden (Cultural Tour)
- After a nice meal at Solar World we were driven to Dresden for the afternoon tour/shopping trip.
- We had a guided tour of the old central part of Dresden, specifically around the opera house, art/porcelain museums, church and palaces
- The tour guide was called Michael ? (an art historian I think) and his general and local knowledge about the place was fantastic. It really brought into focus the building and their characteristics and the roles they played within local and general history of region.
- It’s the first time I’ve every been a part of such a tour, where a local expert has explained the historical context of the buildings and scenery. So much more meaningful and ‘alive’. Everything was given an extra dimension rather than simply being a collection of nice buildings.
- Last hour was spent shopping though Fergal, Dirk and I managed, through sheer accident, to find our selves drinking beer in a little market square. This did mean that the mini bus had to make an emergency stop to accommodate my bursting bladder on the way back… sorry boys.
An excellent day, thoroughly enjoyable and well as educational and surprisingly cultural.
Wahid Khan
The last 2 days have provided a very good overview of the connections between the creation, development and deployment of sustainable technology. Today, the visit to Solar World, was particularly interesting as it allowed us to follow the production of PV from sand to installation. The factory is truly state of the art and is extremely impressive both as a manufactory and as an advocate for an idea. Today complemented yesterday/s demonstration of how innovative thinking and practical support from regional and national government might lead to the realisation of sustainable projects of real benefit to communities. And, I got to see the cosmonaut museum which was, frankly, way cool.
Matt Dean
from silicone brick
to functioning solar cell (in 2 weeks)
I have had a very interesting and informative two days. It was crucial to here from the regional development plan for renewable technologies, which puts the actions being taken in context. The trip to SolarWorld was fantastic, the new manufacturing plan was impressive
Solar World AG, Freiburg (Germany) with 1200 employees
Travelling to the SolarWorld was extremely informative. The organisation and efficiency of the production process made it easy to understand how they managed to produce such a high quality product. The explanation of how raw sand was transformed into silicon wafers and then into solar panels was eye opening. I learned that in purchasing a solar system, the buyer had to consider factors such as panel efficiency, integration with the inverter, longevity and how the system would be eventually decommissioned. An amazing trip – well worth it!
Martin Abraham
The "Zwinger", pleasure palais of King August II
Today I enjoyed our visit to SolarWorld’s most impressive new silicon wafer manufacturing facility in Frieburg. Presentation by David from marketing department who was extremely informative and generous with his time when answering our questions. Knowledge of the manufacturing process also impressed. I think we were all pleasantly surprised by the beautiful rebuilt city of Dresden, having only memories of its tragic past.
Steven Edwards
Really useful to get the perspective of the solar module manufacturer and get their sense of how things are, locally and internationally and the forces that drive their business decisions. Also, very impressive facility which gives considerable confidence that the sector is high quality and the products will stand the test of time. I was particularly encouraged that they aim to recycle the maximum of the raw materials when units come to the end of their lives (3- 35 years) so that they industry can be as truly sustainable as possible. I would be interested in more diverse business models that would open up the option of having solar PV to a wider audience through, for example, them leasing out the units, replacing them when their efficiency drops, recycling them and providing upgrades.
Nick Rousseau
It can be a bit daunting to imagine how the UK is going to ever catch up with countries that have been running incentive schemes for almost 20 years and that got their renewable energy sector to such a scale that it employs around 350,000 people in the various industries. Where do you start? What is the best way forward and how do we train a work force that act as educators for the general public, teachers/ trainers to install these technologies with complete confidence, whilst enabling a secure and predictable funding/ investment climate? Questions, questions.... We had very heated discussions today and seeing and understanding the processes and involved to produce solar panels triggered more questions than providing answers. Some shared that they found it hard to source solar panels in the UK because there aren't that many re-sellers available. Solar World (No 3 manufacturer of solar PV panels world wide) has not yet entered the market in the UK, neither have other German panel producers. Is it because they don't yet know whether there is a market? Are they cautious? They know that they would only enter the market if they can secure quality across the whole sales cycle (to the re-seller, the installers giving the warranties, and end-customers). They would need to invest in training people on their products (both sales people and installers) as they shared with us. This has not happened yet.
....The late afternoon featured a tour of the city and was very much enjoyed due to the very knowledgeable tour guide. Everyone was tired and we arrived back in our accommodation at 6.30pm.
Dirk Bischof
The "Nymph Bath"
