Fukushima, the phase-out of nuclear power, the energy revolution when Intersolar, the worlds biggest trade fair for solar energy and technology, holds its 20th edition at the beginning of June the event will come at a time when the solar industry finds itself at the heart of the current debate on the energy supply of the future.
In addition to these challenges for society as a whole, the solar industry itself is also now in the process of ambitious market transformation. Modified feed-in tariffs, full warehouses, changing political conditions, new markets and technologies all combine to generate a dynamic impetus that is bringing long-term transformations to the market.
With its four?point Think global, act local strategy, solar pioneer Sharp has undertaken structural and financial investments that put the company in an ideal position to meet the future challenges of the photovoltaic market.
Hamburg, June 2011. The solar sector is one of the core business activities of technology company Sharp and has been expanding at a breathtaking rate over the last few years. With an overall accumulated power capacity of four gigawatts from its manufactured solar cells and modules, Sharp is one of the leading solar companies in the world.
In the financial year 2010 (1) alone, the solar pioneer sold a total capacity of 1240 megawatts of solar cells, with 1,000 megawatts in the form of polycrystalline and monocrystalline cells and 240 megawatts from thin film solar cells. The share of solar in Sharps overall turnover rose from 7.6 percent in 2009 to 8.8 percent in 2010, representing an increase of 27.2 percent in sales.
In the last financial year, Europe, with 44 percent was our biggest sales market for solar products, followed by Japan with 33 percent and the USA with 15 percent. In 2010, sales of solar cells and modules accounted for 39 percent of the companys overall turnover in Europe. The biggest individual share of these sales went to Italy with 35 percent, followed by Germany with 27 percent and the UK with 13.5 percent. This clearly shows the importance of this sector for our company in Europe, explains Peter Thiele, Executive Vice President Sharp Energy Solutions Europe.
Solar momentum the energy revolution as an opportunity
The Fukushima nuclear reactor catastrophe in Japan and its lasting consequences have triggered a review and even a total rethink of the question of our future energy supply. Worldwide, countries are putting their energy strategies back under the microscope. Renewable energies, in particular solar energy, are the alternative.
What we are experiencing today is a period of fundamental change in the energy market. It is no longer a mere hype debate but concerns deep-reaching transformations in how we wish to produce and consume energy in future, continues Thiele. This has clear consequences for the solar industry. Given tough price competition, dynamic tariff conditions in Europe and the permanent pressure of innovation, companies will only be able to survive if they are flexible, technologically innovative, credible and close enough to the market. The age of the box movers is over. The future belongs to the Solar Service Providers, predicts Thiele.
Future strategy: Think global, act local
To maintain its capability to respond effectively to the challenges of the solar markets and to expand and influence them even more strongly in future, Sharp has established a four-point strategy: expansion of production, increased market proximity, further development of sales models and value-added chains and strengthening of brand awareness. Over the last few months, Sharp has therefore undertaken a series of structural changes and financial investments. These measures will guarantee its strong position in the solar market of the future and will help to underpin Sharps orientation as a solar service provider.
With the worlds first gigawatt solar factory in Sakai, we currently have the worlds most modern cell and module production facility and can therefore further increase our efficiency and achieve cost reductions. In addition, we operate on the principle of local production for local consumption and have doubled the capacity of our solar module factory in Wrexham in Wales to a present value of 500 megawatts.
Currently, Wrexham produces 8,800 modules per day for the European market, explains Thiele. Sharp will also be opening a solar factory in Sicily in late summer in the framework of its 3Sun consortium with ENEL. This factory will not only produce modules for the South-European market but will also mark Sharps introduction with its 3Sun partners as a supplier of electricity from solar power stations.
To support this new strategic orientation, back in 2008 we had already established a specific division Sharp Energy Solution Europe, which manages our European solar business centrally from Hamburg. With the aid of this division, we have been able to set up a sales and distribution structure that is both solid and flexible. We are now extending this structure with additional services and locally adapted sales offers. One example is our Web Shop, which has been highly successful in selling our PV kits all over Europe and also in providing local installers with complete, all-inclusive solar power solutions that help them save both time and money, continues Thiele.
The fact that the market has now completed its transformation from a demand-driven to a supply?driven basis means that the question of brand awareness and image is increasingly moving to the centre of attention. Quality and services have become key deciding factors for potential customers, and their significance is closely dependent on the strength and credibility of a particular brand.
As a solar pioneer and supplier of high quality, we can look back on more than 50 years of solar experience. As a result, our brand and its associated promises of performance and quality inspire a sense of confidence, safety and benchmark guidance in the minds of partners, installers and end users. To achieve even greater awareness of our brand, we have become UEFA EUROTOP partner and will be giving the coming 100-year anniversary of the existence of Sharp a fitting celebration with the UEFA EURO 2012 championship in Poland and Ukraine," concludes Thiele.
We power our future – Sharp at Intersolar 2011
This year, Sharp is making its eighth appearance at Intersolar. From June 8 to 10, the company will be presenting new solar power solutions and products in Hall A3, Stand 280. In the Module Lounge, Sharp will be showing its latest polycrystalline and monocrystalline modules with a power of 180 to 245 watts, together with thin-film modules with a power of 90 and 128 watts and a glas-glas module. In the Roof Garden, various PV kit solutions will be installed and explained by on-hand Sharp experts. All polycrystalline and monocrystalline modules also have a positive tolerance of up to +5% of module power.
For further information on Sharp and Intersolar, please see our website www.sharp.eu/solar You can also find Sharp on Facebook at www.facebook.com/sharpeurope and Twitter at @sharp_solar_eu
