With six rooftop projects in Germany totalling 340 kWp and a 998 kWp rooftop project in southern Italy in the pipeline, Photon Energys Australian branch is expected to make headway as the companys former CEO Michal Gärtner has moved Down Under.
As a world leading market for PV, Germany is of a key emphasis for Photon Energys progress in the European photovoltaic business. Seated in Berlin, Photon Energy Deutschland GmbH is in charge of guiding construction works on six rooftop projects in in Ückermünde, Demmin and Altentreptow in the north-eastern German state of Mecklenburg Vorpommern with a total installed capacity of 340 KWp. By applying its engineering expertise and downstream integrated business model, Photon Energy is ambitious to become a competitive player on the German PV market.
South of Italy, where the sun shines on average 220 days per year, has attracted Photon Energy by its rather generous feed-in-tariffs and a 0.05 EUR/kWh premium bonus for asbestos removal from rooftops, which had been set by the latest Conto Energia IV. Thus, construction works have been commenced on a 998 kWp rooftop project in Biella region (see photo), which involve removal of asbestos prior to installation of photovoltaic modules. Works on two more rooftop projects are to be launched in Lecco province, which will raise Photon Energy Italias installed capacity to a total of 2.158 MWp.
Because July 2011 in the Czech Republic has been recorded as the coldest and rainiest July in the last decade, Photon Energy has turned a spotlight on Australia, which would enable the company to flatten out its annual production curve and generate high electricity volumes all year round. With such an agenda in mind Michal Gärtner, the co-founder of Photon Energy and its former CEO, has moved to Sydney to head the companys operations in Australia. Until now Photon Energy Australia has been actively participating in public tenders and aiming to establish its strong foothold on the local PV market.
Having grown up in Australia I am familiar with the way business is done and negotiations are held here. Not only can I make use of my past experience and acquaintances in Australia, but I am also eager to introduce Photon Energy to this sunny continent, comments Michal Gärtner, CTO and country head for Australia. I feel it is our duty to take advantage of Australian abundant sunlight, stable legal system, mounting energy consumption and absence of a sufficiently spread national grid.
Besides those successes, Photon Energy continues to examine further opportunities in other markets both within and outside Europe. In the words of CEO Georg Hotar, We all live in a Solar Decade. It is a matter of a couple of years that solar energy will become affordable and competitive around the globe. And by then Photon Energy should be present on all continents.
