The Scandinavian-German manufacturer Innotech Solar (ITS) has received the Made in EU certificate from TÜV Rheinland for its European solar modules as proof that they are manufactured in Europe. This means that operators of plants fitted with ITS modules will benefit from a ten percent higher feed-in tariff in France, with the owners of ground-mounted photovoltaic systems enjoying the added advantage of being able to claim payments backdated to October 1, 2012.
“Innotech Solar is one of only few manufacturers to have so far received a certificate for performing at least two out of every three production stages in Europe,” explains Dr. Thomas Hillig, Vice President Module Sales & Marketing at Innotech Solar. Operators whose plants are fitted with solar modules from manufacturers who only perform one of their production steps in Europe are only entitled to claim a five percent special bonus as opposed to the ten percent now available with ITS modules.
The French government passed a law on January 7, 2013 stipulating that a higher feed-in tariff must be paid for solar systems fitted with European modules. Furthermore, it is required that plants with an output greater than 250 kilowatts peak (kWp) present a report on the carbon footprint of their modules in order to receive the increased incentive. Innotech Solar modules boast an outstanding carbon footprint, which thanks to their especially environmentally friendly production process is around 70 percent lower than that of conventional modules. This has been proven by a study conducted by the Dutch test institute SmartGreenScans, which specializes in the life cycle analysis of photovoltaic systems.
ITS modules are manufactured in an innovative process, which sees the company optimizing solar cells from other manufacturers before using them to produce its own modules. Cell optimization is performed in the German city of Halle an der Saale, while module production takes place in Glava, Sweden. Apart from its EVA film, which it obtains from the Japanese market leader for this material, Innotech Solar only uses components from European manufacturers of proprietary products. A multitude of tests by independent experts, such as the Photovoltaik-Institut Berlin or PV Lab, demonstrate the high efficiency, longevity and positive environmental impact of Innotech Solar modules.
