News Article
Market Expansion
juwi group enters new markets
juwi has announced it has set up shop in emerging market areas South Africa and Chile. The company has opened offices in both countries. The juwi group was originally set up in 1996 as a two-man operation and has grown to a global company with approximately 1,100 employees.
Chile is a new and promising market for the juwi group as it will also increase the company's focus on photovoltaic energy although its expertise in wind energy continues. The subsidiary juwi Energías Renovables de Chile Limitada has opened an office in the capital Santiago de Chile.
The juwi group has been involved as project developer with two solar energy research projects in the Atacama Desert with a total output of six kilowatt. The plants use polycrystalline as well as mono crystalline modules and were constructed in cooperation with the Centre for the Development of Energy based at the University of Antofagasta. Measuring instruments documented the energy production under complicated conditions.
“In the Tropic of Capricorn, the modules are exposed to sandstorms, magnetic dust and a highly corrosive atmosphere“, explains Diego Lobo-Guerrero Rodríguez, project manager juwi Solar GmbH. Each plant produces enough energy to cover the annuals needs of twelve Chilean households. juwi Solar donates the plants and part of the produced energy to the University of Antafogaste. The output of the second solar power plant is delivered free-of charge to the school San Pedro de Atacama, upon whose roof one of the plants is fixed.
All activities in South Africa will be coordinated from the office in Stellenbosch, near Cape Town and will focus primarily on wind energy.
“The government follows a comprehensive energy strategy that combines different renewable energy sources. That matches what juwi offers as we are active in all areas of renewable energy. In the longer term, we plan to construct solar projects in South Africa as well“, adds Michael Böhm, managing director of juwi Renewable Energies (Pty) Ltd.
