In February 2008,. Upsolar concluded a con- ... Upsolar Europe SAS at the 2010.
Intersolar show in ... half of Öko-Test, focused on the actual power output.
ENERGY SUPPLY & PRODUCTION
PV Modules based on in-house Research Founded in Hong Kong, with main operations headquartered in Shanghai, Upsolar is a globally active enterprise specialising in the design, research and development, manufacture and marketing of photovoltaic modules for residential and commercial applications. The company has a number of strategic presences around the world; the European market is covered by Upsolar Europe SAS, based in the very heart of the French capital, Paris. The corporation is poised to start tackling new markets around the world, specifically in Europe, North America and Japan.
Upsolar Europe SAS at the 2010 Intersolar show in Munich
Upsolar was established by Zhe Jiang in Hong Kong in 2006; one year later, the start-up reached a long-term Psi wafer supply agreement with ReneSola Ltd. A few months after that, a strategic partnership was entered into with Shanghai Electrical Apparatus Research Institute for silicon module quality research and development. By the end of 2007, Upsolar had manufactured and shipped photovoltaic modules equalling fifteen megawatts of solar power.
tract for supplying a sevenmegawatt photovoltaic power station with a major independent Portuguese utility company, and just four weeks later, it signed a letter of intent to supply modules (a total of one hundred megawatts) to a leading European green energy investment fund. May 2008 saw the opening of Upsolar Europe SAS in Paris, which was set up to expand customer coverage and solar markets in Europe, the Middle East and Africa.
In February 2008, Upsolar concluded a con-
June 2008 was marked by the inauguration of
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Upsolar’s in-house inspection and development centre in the Jinshan district just outside Shanghai. JR Investment Corporation Holding acquired a stake in Upsolar in September 2008 and, by November, photovoltaic module shipments had reached a total of sixty megawatts for 2008. Around the same time, Upsolar entered into a strategic partnership with Tianwei New Energy, the only fully integrated company in China,
and Bureau Veritas Shanghai was appointed thirdparty quality witness partner for all Upsolar shipments. In April 2009, Upsolar America, Inc. was founded. At the time of writing, Upsolar has branch offices in four locations, namely Shanghai and Hong Kong as well as Paris for Upsolar Europe SAS and San Francisco for Upsolar America, Inc as well as subsidiaries in Italy, Germany, and Greece. The company presently employs approximately one hundred members of staff.
Upsolar is positioned as a multinational company that designs, researches and develops, manufactures and sells photovoltaic modules aimed at a worldwide base of residential and commer-
Our interviewee, Head of Sales Eric Liu
cial customers. Supported by an exclusive relationship with its production partners, the company focuses on providing outstanding photovoltaic module solutions and services in order to consistently create maximum value for its customers. Upsolar is uniquely positioned in the photovoltaic industry thanks to its vertically integrated production capacity, total quality system, double warranty programme and world-class insurance, in-house testing and technological develop-
two cells in standard, black and transparent version as well as monocrystalline PV laminates. The polycrystalline range features modules with fifty-four, sixty and seventy-two cells. The broad standard module range can be adapted to suit all types of installation. Mono-Si modules with power output ratings from 160Wp to 190Wp are used mainly for rooftop installations. Poly-Si modules from 200Wp to 280Wp are typically employed in largescale power systems.
Fifty-four-cell monocrystalline photovoltaic module by Upsolar
Upsolar Europe SAS 15, rue du Louvre (bte 117) 75001 Paris France
The lobby of the North America branch in San Francisco
ment, and international customer support. Research, solution development, quality and service are the four pillars upon which all Upsolar’s activities are built and which are the main contributing factors to its worldwide competitiveness. The portfolio is made up of both mono- and polycrystalline varieties. The monocrystalline range comprises modules with seventy-
Most recently, the British Board of Agreement (BBA) granted the MCS certificate for the complete Upsolar photovoltaic module range after a detailed certification process. The certificate is mandatory in order to be eligible for Clean Energy Cash Back Incentives (socalled feed-in tariffs). It demonstrates the quality and reliability of approved products by satisfying rigorous quality control stan-
dards. After the “very good” rating of the leading German Öko-Test magazine, the MCS certificate is now the second independent approval for Upsolar’s module quality in the past few weeks. In Öko-Test’s results, released in April 2010, only four module manufactured scored a “very good” top rating, and Upsolar was the only one of seven Chinese companies to achieve this. The tests, conducted by Photon Laboratory on behalf of Öko-Test, focused on
the actual power output compared to the data sheets, tolerances, module efficiency, cell quality and presence of micro-cracks. Clearly, using top-quality module components from qualified international manufacturers ensures the delivery of consistently highquality products. All potential components are strictly tested at Upsolar’s stateof-the-art in-house test laboratory and selected by their performance and ability to withstand various climatic conditions, including high ECONOMYTRIBUNE
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wind and snow loads. Final products are also tested at the Upsolar laboratory to achieve longer product life and product safety. Our interview partner for this feature, Head of Sales Eric Liu, reports: “We are clearly positioned in the market as suppliers of silicon-based solar modules. In the second half of 2010, we expect to introduce a number of new products in this segment.” When asked about Upsolar’s USP and corporate philosophy, Eric Liu offers: “We conduct all our own
research, development and design work, and are thus able to offer top-quality products at excellent prices.” Considering where Upsolar’s main foreign offices are located, it is easy to work out its most important markets. “We have a clear focus on Europe and the United States; however, Japan will also be our next major market,” emphasises Eric Liu. “From a Hong Kong perspective, we have a one-hundred-percent export rate.” The company primarily supplies to project developers, distributors and system integrators.
Seventy-two-cell version of Upsolar’s monocrystalline module
The marketing toolkit employed by Upsolar is very comprehensive indeed, as our interviewee explains: “We publish brochures and a great deal of information on our website; recently, we released our first newsletter. Furthermore, we engage in sponsoring of conference events and intend to sponsor sports events in the future. We are also a member of a
Transparent version of Upsolar’s monocrystalline module
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recycling association. In total, we appear at twenty to twenty-five trade fairs per year, among them, of course, Intersolar in Munich.”
Upsolar Europe SAS 15, rue du Louvre (bte 117) 75001 Paris France
