TULiPPS Solar Wins Dutch Solar Innovation Award

During ceremonies on the Eindhoven High Tech Campus, TULiPPS Solar won the 2012 Dutch Solar Innovation Awards in the Industrial Development category.

Organised by Dutch Solar Magazine, TULiPPS say the first Dutch Solar Awards is a juried competition designed to showcase the best of the Netherlands’ solar energy sector by recognising innovation in several awards categories. Jury members who decided the Industrial Development category are all long-time solar industry professionals.

With a significant amount of the world’s solar photovoltaic (PV) modules currently produced on Dutch equipment, the Netherlands are well represented in the world of solar. TULiPPS explains that the Industry Development category recognises a company that excels in achieving an industrial innovation (realised in calendar year 2011) that advances the progress of industry and the solar market on a global scale. The other three award categories this year included: Project Development, Young Solar, and Solar Thesis.

In awarding TULiPPS with its award, Jury President, Professor Dr. Wim Sinke, also Program Development Manager-Solar Energy at the Energy Research Centre of the Netherlands (ECN) as well as Chairman of the European Photovoltaic Technology Platform said, “The jury selected TULiPPS Solar because the company ranked highest in a number of criteria. We were impressed by the owner, Paul Stassen’s incredible persistence in moving this company and its technology forward. He has put together a unique multidisciplinary consortium with a remarkable number of partners whose expertise in solar, roofing, glass, composites, and even automotive have helped TULiPPS completely redesign the solar module. They have designed a new product from scratch, but have used proven technology that exists today even if it’s not so well known or so visible in the solar industry, and it is broadly deployable. They are an excellent example of the kind of ‘out-of-the-box thinking’ that will move our industry forward.”

About the win, Stassen, Managing Director of TULiPPS and Inventor of the unique technology platform that was honoured at the awards said, “Oh, this feels so great because this is the first time the Dutch Solar Awards have been given and this is such a dream come true to receive this level of recognition for a young company like ours. I truly could not have done so much so fast if not for my really excellent development partners. I owe thanks to RESIN (Products & Technology), QolorTech, and Voestalpine Plastics Solutions for their invaluable help with resin formulation and test moulding. I congratulate Ducatt and LiSEC Group for their amazing breakthrough in ultrathin, toughened solar glass. Oskomera Solar Power Solutions and IBC Solar were critical in helping me understand the issues facing this industry. BPO provided all the design and engineering on my modules. Thanks also go to Solar Modules Nederland for producing my first panels and to Kiwa who tested them and let us know how remarkable their performance was. Financial support from the Province of Noord-Brabant and business assistance from the Brabantse Ontwikkelingsmaatschappij has been very helpful. I also wish to thank all the members of my advisory board and, of course, members of my family, who have been tireless supporters during many long workdays these past two years.”

According to TULiPPS, new patent-pending COSMOS module technology from TULiPPS Sola in standard 72- and larger 120-cell configurations has carefully been designed to address deficiencies with conventional PV systems in order to bring greater value to all members of the solar PV supply chain – from the PV module manufacturers and module installation companies to building owners and investors. Developed in partnership with companies in the automotive composites, roofing, glass, and PV industries, they claim the modules reduce weight, production costs, installation time and maintenance, as well as increase revenues, and lower system costs (Watt-peak installed) for the next generation of solar PV modules.

TULiPPS say the key to the success of the system is the combination of tough but lightweight automotive-grade composites, a frameless support system with plug-′n-play functionality, a proven roof-anchor system that does not penetrate the roof membrane, and special thin 2-mm/0.08 inch, single-layer toughened solar glass from Ducatt that provides improved break resistance and industry’s highest light transparency (95% vs. 91% achieved with thicker low-iron solar glass) and therefore offers greater energy conversion per unit area. COSMOS module technology is applicable for roof- or ground-mounted solar arrays as well as building-integrated PV (BIPV) modules and can easily be implemented in all existing PV module factories.

Publication Date: 21/02/2012

WWW Link: http://www.tulipps.com

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