Completing a project schedule of just under 14 months, including a short installation and start-up phase, Schmid Technology Systems GmbH has teamed with Elvia Group subsidiary Sillia Änergie in developing a 20MW photovoltaic (PV) module line in Lannion, France.

November 23, 2009--Completing a project schedule of just under 14 months, including a short installation and start-up phase, Schmid Technology Systems GmbH has teamed with Elvia Group subsidiary Sillia Energie in developing a 20MW photovoltaic (PV) module line in Lannion, France.

Stefan Huber, project manager at Schmid Technology Systems GmbH, says excellent cooperation between the two companies made it possible for Sillia Energie to manufacture its first solar modules just four weeks after installation began, consequently launching production much earlier than planned.

Sillia Energie, with a workforce of 51, now produces certified solar modules on what is described as the most modern PV production site in France--predominantly for the French market. Sillia plans to expand the module line to 40MW, a measure it says can be completed in the short term and without interrupting production.

During the recent grand opening ceremony, Bruno Cassin, managing director of the Elvia Group, praised the successful cooperation with Schmid, emphasized his hopes in photovoltaic as the true future technology in energy production, and also expressed to the press his confidence in the future of the French PV market.