Nov 14 2006
Three of the world’s leading experts in power management technologies have signed a Memorandum of Understanding in the field of photovoltaic power generation. Under the terms of the MOU, Delta Electronics, Inc. of Taiwan, its majority-owned subsidiary DelSolar Co. Ltd. (Taiwan), and STMicroelectronics NV will explore strategic cooperation opportunities with the intention of concluding a strategic partnership in areas such as increasing solar cell production, and developing photovoltaic inverter and power supply applications. ST is the world’s leading supplier of semiconductor solutions for power conversion applications. DelSolar is a world leader in solar cell manufacturing. Delta, the world's number one provider of switching power supplies, is focusing on photovoltaic inverter design and production and desires to become a major player in the fast growing solar energy system market.
Solar power accounted for only 0.024% of the total amount of electricity produced globally in 2004. By 2010 this may grow by a factor of 10, as solar power is predicted to supply 0.25% of the world’s electricity.* Beyond that, solar energy has huge growth potentialasglobal demand for clean, renewable energy increases. Solar power’s advantages include low environmental pollution, solar cells with long product life cycles, and an unlimited supply of raw energy — the earth receives more energy from the sun in just one hour than the world uses in a whole year.
“The solar electricity market is set to grow. In 2005 the cumulative installed capacity of solar photovoltaic (PV) systems around the world passed the landmark figure of 5000MWp. Global shipments of PV cells and modules have been growing at an average annual rate of more than 35% **for the past few years and we expectthat emerging photovoltaic markets such as China, India, and South Korea will become substantial beyond 2010 and will drive commoditization,” noted Carmelo Papa, Corporate Vice President and General Manager of ST’s Micro, Power, Analog Group.
“We believe that the combination of expertise offered by Delta, DelSolar, and ST, which spans the full chain from the raw silicon to the inverters and power supplies that deliver electrical energy to the users, will enable the development of more efficient technologies and products, thereby accelerating the wider use of solar energy,” said Mr. RC Liang, Senior Technology Advisor of Delta Group and CEO of DelSolar.