Photovoltaic news and pv jobs

juwi Solar to add 500 new jobs as part of worldwide expansion

Germany-based juwi Solar has said it will create 500 new jobs until 2012. Almost half of them will be located in Germany, which is currently the company's "most important" market.

juwi plans to expand Europe-wide despite cuts in incentives. Image: juwi Solar.

The news comes as the company says it is expanding its worldwide operations. It explained that projects include expansion into the Bulgarian and Slovakian photovoltaics (PV) markets, as well as the establishment of foreign branches in the U.K. and India. It added that market segments covering operation and maintenance as well as off-grid applications are also expected to be expanded, which would open up jobs for the sector.

The juwi team is planning a total output of around 150 megawatts (MW) to be developed until 2012 in the U.S. This could double employee numbers from the current 30, according to the company. Employee numbers will also double to more than 50 in France, said juwi, where it plans to realize a free-field project in Sabaranic, approximately 80 kilometers south of Toulouse. In total, the company plans to install up to 30 MW of PV plants this year.

The company’s portfolio in Germany is said to include solar parks on open spaces, formally used for military or industrial purposes. Off-grid solutions will additionally create new jobs according to the company, with a free-field PV plant in Drachevo, Bulgaria. This is said to provide 3.5 MW per year, which will provide around 4.3 million kilowatt-hours of clean energy. The company is said to be planning to connect it to the grid this autumn. It has also said it is planning five MWs worth of PV projects in Slovakia this year.

Furthermore, the company has said that it has plans to develop projects with a total output of 30 MW in Spain. Projects in Italy, planned in Marcaria, approximately 70 kilometers southwest of Verona, Mantova, will also reportedly open up job prospects "considerably".

Juwi is additionally finishing a two MW project in central Bohemia, with a 15 MW project in the planning. The company states that this will double employee numbers in the Czech Republic.

According to juwi Solar managing director, Lars Falck, the company’s PV projects for the next two years are set to see an output of more than 1,000 MW. The projects will provide more than a billion kilowatt hours of energy per year to more than 300,000 households, according to European norms. The company said that cuts in incentives have not dampened its European expansion plans.