2009 PV Taiwan: Orders flood in, dazzling venture glows with success

TAIPEI, TAIWAN:The message is clear! Solar is hot, very hot, and after 2009 PV Taiwan there’s no turning back.

The three-day event from Oct.7 to Oct. 9 attracted 10,160 visitors, a 65 percent increase from the previous year. Among them were 1,421 foreign buyers (+58 percent from 2008) who represented nations as diverse as Germany, the USA, Japan, Australia, Mexico, Singapore, India, and China.

This event also known as the 2009 Taiwan Int’l Photovoltaic Forum, marked the first collaboration between TAITRA (Taiwan External Trade Development Council) and SEMI (Semiconductor Equipment and Materials Int’l).

Visitors from over 50 countries join PV Taiwan
At the Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology’s first-ever pavilion, spokesperson Ms. Gabriele Haase at the pavilion praised the planning and execution of the PV Taiwan that greatly helped to attract floods of visitors.

In addition the “Germany Day” series of seminars on Oct. 8 also paraded vast opportunities. After meeting with success at the show, the German organizers look forward to bringing more German companies for next year show.

These and other pavilions formed a dazzling venue that attracted buyers from both Europe and Japan to place massive orders, many of which were signed right on the show floor. Wu, a director of the module manufacturer Perfect Source Tech. Corp., also pointed out that besides the European clientele, many buyers came from Japan and took advantage of the factory tours to inspect Taiwan production.

HCPV Pavilion pulls in crowds
Without a doubt the special HCPV Pavilion was the hottest spot at the show. It spotlighted high concentration photovoltaic (HCPV), HCPV products and technology. This area hosted speeches from world-renowned experts, as well as a photovoltaic museum which detailed the technical applications and development trends of HCPV.

The 32 booths displayed HCPV modules and technology from 13 leading HCPV companies and research institutions, including Everphoton Energy Co., Compound Solar Technology Co., Arima EcoEnergy Technologies Corp., Arima Photovoltaic and Optical Corp., Millennium Communication Co., Huang Yih Gear Industry Co., Powertronics Co., Tisamax Technical Co., Green Source Technology Co., Pan-Co International Co., SUMITRONICS TAIWAN CO., LTD., and the Institute of Nuclear Energy Research.

“This year’s exhibition was the first in which HCPV companies joined in their own dedicated area,” stated marketing director of Everphoton Energy Co. Annie Lai. “That went a long way in helping us to profile Taiwan’s HCPV industry. and helped to attract large numbers of buyers and inquiries. Overall buyers increased 20 percent on last year’s show and there was great interest from buyers from the US, Germany, Hungary, and Australia.”

“That new HCPV Area greatly helped HCPV companies,” noted Yong-Si Su, project planning director at Epistar Corp. who noted that “PV Taiwan’s gala banquet brought together companies in Taiwan’s photovoltaic industry, giving upstream and downstream companies a great chance to establish connections; I hope there will be more events of this kind in the future.”

Standing room only in PV forum
Held from Oct. 7 to 8 in Room 201 of the Taipei International Convention Center, the Taipei Summit and PV Taiwan Forum 2009 drew an audience of more than 500 visitors during their four sessions.

Participants came from home and abroad, including high ranking officials from ASEAN countries: Fortunato dela Peña, Undersecretary for Science and Technology Services of the Philippines; Sorayut Phettakul, Vice Minister for Trade and Industry of Thailand; and Ms. Took Gee Loo, Deputy Secretary General of Malaysia’s Ministry of Energy, Green Technology and Water.

This year's forum included 18 guest international speakers, namely the Managing Director at Morgan Stanley Sunil Gupta, President of Solarbuzz LLC Craig Stevens, LDK Chairman Xiaofeng Peng, President of Sino-American Silicon Products Inc. Ms. Doris Hsu, Director General of ISFOC Dr. Pedro Banda, and CEO of Würth Solar Bernhard Dimmler.

These experts covered a wide range of issues, including technologies and trends in the photovoltaic industry, polysilicon and other new materials, applications for new photovoltaic technologies, and the development of thin-film solar cells. Their analyses and opinions on PV spurred lively interactions with their audiences.

Thumbs up for innovation event
The nine New Products & Solution Outlook during the course of the exhibition also drew full crowds.

International buyers asked about smart, low-cost, highly efficient solar cells, and the development and application of new technologies and products, and scheduled further post-conference visits to exhibition booths in expectation of future business opportunities.

PV Museum stages glowing roots of solar
This year’s PV Taiwan featured the Photovoltaic Museum that drew an endless flow of visitors reflected on the past as PV Museum guides outlined important milestones in the development of the photovoltaic industry while full production displays provided valuable information on the production of solar cells.

The 3-in-1 heat insulation solar glass developed by National Taiwan University of Science and Technology amazed the crowds and drew potential buyers to hands-on demonstrations with its combination of insulating, self-cleaning, and electric generation properties, and an 8℃ indoor temperature drop after application. The conferences also included daily draws for pre-register buyers, with the PS3 console top prize proving to be a hot attraction.

In the adjacent applied products display much attention was directed to the applied products display, which focused on the application of technology in everyday life.

One popular product on display was the solar-powered pet house developed by National Taiwan University of Science and Technology, which uses solar energy to power deodorizing equipment, fans, and lights. This won the hearts of many US buyers who signed orders on the spot.

There was also a solar powered cockroach elimination machine developed by Hung Der Technical and Commercial High School that re-charges with solar power to sense and electrocute cockroaches. This brought in many inquiries from visiting buyers and offers to collaborate in production.

International buyers were also highly interested in Ching Yun University’s trendy solar car; the Industrial Technology Research Institute of Taiwan’s solar cooking pot (that cooks food using optical reflection) and Solarfocus Technology’s solar powered clothes, which helps blood circulation, and maintains a comfortable temperature for the wearer.

The photovoltaic industry has rebounded and been busy receiving and filling orders. For example, Quincy Lin, CEO of Neo Solar Power Corp. (NSP) says production at his company has been in full throttle since July, and buyer inquiries at the exhibition remained high even though the company has already a full order list to keep it busy up to next year. Lin stated that this year’s exhibition was much larger than last year’s, and the large turn-out made it easier to heighten corporate profile.

All companies agreed that foreign buyers were especially active in this year’s PV Taiwan especially as the new US administration has strongly been promoting a green energy policy. This year’s exhibition also welcomed a group of 33 US senators and representatives along with house speakers and majority leaders from Hawaii and several New England states. This high profile group lauded Taiwan’s green energy industry and the exhibition itself, indicating a high international interest in the Taiwanese market.

The joint efforts of TAITRA and SEMI helped 2009 PV Taiwan join domestic and foreign companies under one roof and to stage Taiwan’s massive industrial and R&D power and the diversity of the industry. With the high standards set in this year’s exhibition, and the active participation of buyers from more than 50 countries, Taiwan’s solar industry has established a solid position in the international arena.

Expect to see an even bigger and better show at the next PV Taiwan from Oct. 26-28, 2010!