For two days in April, Centrosolar AG is offering a seminar on photovoltaic technology, specifically geared toward international participants. The event will be held on 15 and 16 April in the company’s solar production facilities in Wismar (northern Germany). This is where Centrosolar manufactures its high-performance solar panels, which are in use all over Europe and North America. With a capacity of 350 megawatt peak (MWp), the company’s Sonnenstromfabrik solar power factory is one of the largest and most modern solar panel producers in Europe.
The seminar will guide participants through the production process and give an overview of the solar market. It will also offer a presentation of Centrosolar’s range of products, which includes both traditional on-roof panels and special solar panels that are integrated into the structure of a roof. Such panels are being used more and more in southern Europe. Other topics will include network-independent solar systems, which are in use in rural areas around the world where there is no public electricity grid nearby. Centrosolar built such a stand-alone system for an SOS Children’s Village in Kenya in 2011. Also covered in the seminar will be the usefulness of storage systems. In many countries, solar energy has become more affordable than energy from a utility company, such that it is more economical for an operator to use the energy from a solar system itself than to feed the energy into a public grid. It is important to have a storage option in order to be able to use the maximum amount of self-produced energy so that the electricity is available when it is needed.
Centrosolar’s press spokeswoman Manuela Jakobi notes that, “Centrosolar offers its customers not only high-quality photovoltaic panels manufactured in Germany, but also first-class service, which includes a special training centre. We call it Centroschool, and it is where we educate customers and other people interested in solar technology, in several European countries and the U.S. In 2012 in Germany alone, over 400 people participated in Centrosolar seminars.” The event presents theory, but also hands-on exercises and on-site installation work.
The seminar is designed to appeal to interested parties from any discipline or trade. No prior knowledge is required. The fee for the seminar is €149 and includes handouts and meals. A group meal will be held on the first evening. Participants will be given a certificate at the conclusion of the event.