SOLARCON® India 2013 To Highlight The Importance of PV Manufacturing In India

Online, May 15, 2013 (Newswire.com) - Today, SEMI, the global industry association serving the photovoltaics, nano- and microelectronics manufacturing supply chains, announced SOLARCON® India 2013 the fifth edition of its solar focused trade show and conference to be held at the KTPO Exhibition Complex in Whitefield, Bangalore, India from 1-3 August, 2013.

Impressive PV installation growth in India, now cumulatively in excess of 1 GW, has been overshadowed by the fact that PV manufacturing in India is going through a deeply challenging phase with several cell and module manufacturers having to restructure and subsequently re-target their businesses. This seemingly paradoxical situation has played out across the global PV market due to over-capacity, bloated inventories, intense cost competition and scaling back of solar targets in some regions.

Against this backdrop, SOLARCON® India 2013 will provide a framework to discuss the enormous role for solar in power hungry India. From power plants to rooftops and off-grid applications SOLARCON India will be the place to reaffirm the need for investments and commitment in both R&D and manufacturing to address the next demand cycle; and to enable Indian industry to regroup and compete on quality and price.

"Balancing PV supply and demand within regions provides greater economic benefits, reduces carbon emissions and the costs of transporting PV products, making a case for a strong regional manufacturing industry", said Bettina Weiss, VP Business Development, SEMI. The Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission (JNNSM), in the year of its launch, clearly called out, as one of its objectives, the need to build 4-5 GW of solar manufacturing capacity in the country across the entire value chain, from materials to electronics, to enable price competitiveness, greater value addition and innovation.

The event will provide a single platform for PV materials suppliers, equipment manufacturers, integrators, project developers and other eco-system enablers to meet, debate, discover new opportunities, assess the challenges and evolve plans for the future of the industry in India. Leading technology experts, business leaders and visionaries will address the conference including Dr. Harish Hande, Managing Director, SELCO India and winner of the Ramon Magsaysay Award and Prof. Pradeep Haldar, Recipient of the US President's Excellence in Research Award and Professor at the College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering, State University of New York at Albany and CTO of the US Photovoltaic Manufacturing Consortium. Other highlights of the conference include a CEO panel discussion entitled, Assessment of Indian Solar Market Development Prospects and Problems, an interactive session on the second phase of the JNNSM, discussions on state solar policies, sessions on Financing and new market opportunities. A parallel Workshop on PV Manufacturing Standards will be held on 2ndAugust with experts from UL, IEEE, SEC and SEMI presenting.

Highlighting India's importance, Bettina Weiss added, "With continued recent solar energy target announcements at the national and state levels including in the southern states of Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala and in SOLARCON India 2013's home state of Karnataka, and the enormous overall market, India will remain one of the fastest solar growth markets for the foreseeable future. SEMI is particularly committed to working with stake holders and the local industry to see India develop as a hub for solar manufacturing and innovation as well".

SOLARCON India
SOLARCON India, now in its fifth year, is the event of choice for the solar industry in India. It brings together the entire supply chain with a focus on PV manufacturing, production and technology and attracts equipment and materials suppliers; cell and module manufacturers; balance of systems (BOS) suppliers (inverters, batteries, tracking and mounting systems, integrators); project developers; academia and researchers; utility-scale developers and government agencies. SOLARCON India visitors are influential: on average, 88.5% of visitors are involved in the evaluation, recommendation, and final purchasing of PV manufacturing materials, equipment, and services and 81% of visitors are management level or above providing an excellent platform for product announcements and launches via exhibition presence or sponsorships with over 5000 focused visitors expected at the event. More information is available at www.solarconindia.org

About SEMI
SEMI is the global industry association serving the nano- and microelectronics manufacturing supply chains. Our 1,900 member companies are the engine of the future, enabling smarter, faster and more economical products that improve our lives. Since 1970, SEMI has been committed to helping members grow more profitably, create new markets and meet common industry challenges. SEMI maintains offices in Bangalore, Beijing, Berlin, Brussels, Grenoble, Hsinchu, Moscow, San Jose, Seoul, Shanghai, Singapore, Tokyo, and Washington, D.C. For more information, visit: www.semi.org

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