Isofoton President calls for European strategy to maintain solar leadership
ISOFOTON has participated in the APVIA PV 2012 International Exhibition, an event that attracts corporate executives in the solar sector in Asia, which was held in Singapore. Angel Luis Serrano, President of ISOFOTON, participated in a panel where he called for the creation of a specific operating network in the technological field, to maintain European leadership in the PV sector.
According to Serrano, there is a need for a "solid operating framework in the technological field, considering the enormous investments made to date in Europe in research and development in the photovoltaic industry". In this respect, he confirmed that "ISOFOTON is a global company competing in the global marketplace, maintaining its investment in R&D and employment with the backing of important international partners such as Samsung which, in collaboration with the regional government of Andalusia, has invested 50 million euros in our Malaga plant, our corporate headquarters".
He highlighted the example of the US and China as "markets that are fully aware of the key role played by the photovoltaic industry in their countries' competitiveness, so they are fully supporting the sector, a model to be followed by Europe, which has to continue supporting the photovoltaic industry". With regards to the challenges facing the Chinese photovoltaic sector, he confirmed that "China has made a great effort to cut costs for the business, but the next challenge is to open the market to foreign investors in order to compete on a global market in equal conditions". In this respect, he confirmed that ISOFOTON is a global company competing in the global marketplace, so we take our business to wherever our clients are"
At this event, àngel Luis Serrano was able to discuss matters with important corporate representatives from the Asian solar sector, such as Peng Fan, CEO of JA Solar Holding Co, Charles Gay, Chairman of Applied Material Inc., Deepak Puri, Co- President of the Renewable Energy Committee of the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and Chairman of Moser Baer India and Christophe Inglin, Managing Director of Phoenix Solar.
Isofoton, which has developed and supplied solar 1,000 projects in 60 countries is one of the largest investors in research and development in the photovoltaic sector, and is currently participating in 14% of the solar energy projects under development in Europe within 2010-2014 period according to EU data.
Following all statements remarked in the forum Isofoton focus its main business lines on its unwavering commitment to innovation and R&D, on investment in manufacturing facilities at end-markets, and on forging strategic alliances with prestigious companies such as Samsung, Posco Plan Engineering and Mercedes AMG Petronas. Isofoton's CEO, Angel Luis Serrano, recently announced a €40M investment from Samsung for its Malaga, Spain, facility aimed at increasing production capacity and improving technological efficiency. Strengthening its position in key solar energy markets, ISOFOTON has already agreed to build a 50 MW photovoltaic power plant in the Dominican Republic and plans to build another in Ecuador in the near future.
