PV Solar Power Investment in Africa

Solar power in Africa has the potential to provide all of the world's energy yet some 600 million people in Africa live without reliable access to electricity, according to the International Finance Corp, a division of the World Bank. Now, some of the world's biggest energy companies are conducting projects to test the viability—and marketability—of solar-powered systems to provide electricity for lighting and other purposes in villages all over Africa.

Renewable energy companies hope to sell PV solar panels, batteries and solar energy generation systems to governments and nonprofits, which could use them to provide power to villages at a discount or for no charge. The systems cost less than it would to expand traditional power grids—offering a relatively swift, economical way to boost living standards.

South Africa already supports solar power with guarantees that the state-backed utility will buy the output of large-scale solar-energy plants at a favorable price. It also offers subsidies to homeowners who buy solar water-heating systems and the government is interested in similar programs for other solar power applications, including water pumps and lighting systems.

The IFC sees the potential for solar power companies to start racking up double-digit annual gains in sales of off-grid lighting systems by 2015. The market's size will depend on the willingness of governments and nonprofits to invest on a larger scale in off-grid power systems

Follow the link for more info on the building and construction of solar power systems in Africa

Activ Solar GmbH

Activ Solar GmbH, headquartered in Vienna, Austria, focuses on the production of high-purity polysilicon for the solar PV industry and on the selective development of large-scale photovoltaic (PV) solar parks.

Headquarters
Wipplingerstrasse 35/4
Vienna
A-1010
Austria

Tel: +43 1253 3161 50
Fax: +43 1253 3161 60

Website: www.activsolar.com

5N Plus Inc

5N Plus is a leading producer, provider and recycler of specialty metals and chemicals for a wide variety of applications, including thin-film solar applications. Purity is the key characteristic in all of our products, ensuring performance levels which cannot be attained in any other way.

Headquarters 4385 Garand St Saint Laurent Quebec H4R 2B4 Canada
Tel: +1 514 856 0644 Fax: +1 514 856 9611
Website: www.5nplus.com

SNEIA - Shanghai New Energy Industry Association

Shanghai New Energy Industry Association (SNEIA), established in October 1998, is a non-profit organisation. With over 400 members that come from the new energy sector, including equipment manufacturers, design institutions, investment groups, power grid corporations, etc., SNEIA has grown up to be an influential international industry association.

Headquarters
Room 711, No 1525 West Zhongshan Road
Shanghai
200235
China
  
Tel: +86 21 6428 1523
Fax: +86 21 6464 2653

Website: www.sneia.org

Yingli Green Energy Holding Co., Ltd

Yingli Green Energy (NYSE: YGE), which markets its products under the brand Yingli Solar, is a leading solar energy company and one of the world's largest vertically integrated photovoltaic manufacturers. Headquartered in Baoding, China, Yingli has more than 11,000 employees and over 10 subsidiaries and branch offices worldwide.

Headquarters
Yingli Green Energy Europe
Heimeranstrasse 37
Munich
D-80339
Germany

Fax: +49 8954 0303 465
  
Website: www.yinglisolar.com

WIP

WIP has been active in PV solar projects and PV solar promotion since 1982. An interdisciplinary team bridges the gap between research and market implementation. WIP has been organising international conferences and exhibitions for 27 years.

Headquarters
Sylvensteinstr. 2
München
D-81369
Germany

Tel: +49 8972 0127 35
Fax: +49 8972 0127 91
  
Website: www.wip-munich.de

Wacker Chemie AG

Wacker Polysilicon is a leading supplier of hyperpure polysilicon to the worldwide semiconductor and photovoltaic industries. Our well-known superior quality and excellent performance has made us a supplier of choice for all major wafer producers and we continue to grow with those dynamic markets.

Headquarters
Johannes-Hess-Strasse 24
Burghausen
D-84489
Germany
  
Tel: +49 8677 8386370
Fax: +49 8677 886-86370

Website: www.wacker.com