The meeco Group 2012 Global Solar Market Report

Swiss renewable energy group with steady growth, new market and solutions

2012 was the year major solar panel manufacturers like Q-Cells, Solyndra or Evergreen Solar went bankrupt. It will stay in people's minds as a critical year for the entire solar energy sector, which depended heavily on government subsided green energy prices. The significant Feed-in Tariff cuts in Europe and uninterrupted solar PV modules price decrease deeply impacted the market behavior, the only positive note being the awakening of new emerging solar markets. Continuing economic challenges and changing policies have generated uncertainties, negative perspectives and reduced market growth in traditional renewable energy markets such as Germany, Spain, Italy, Greece, the UK or even France.


Despite the gloomy global economic context, 2012 proved to be very positive for The meeco Group. "We expanded and grew considerably, moving into new regions and countries, where the interest and policies to promote renewable energies is rapidly rising. Obviously this has in part been possible thanks to major dropdowns in module index prices", explains Victoria Lázaro, Head of Procurement for The meeco Group. Geographical expansion has been a constant factor since 2008 and has turned into a real strategic advantage for The meeco Group. "We work with strong and key local partners and bring along our strategic know-how, provide top-tier quality products while our partner manages all local activities such as service, sales and supervises / guides the professional implementation of local installations under our guidance", declares Dieter Trutschler, Sales Director for The meeco Group.

In 2012 The meeco Group has worked on more than 80 projects in 21 different countries, installing close to 50 MW capacity, 80% of it being grid connected projects. In addition, two exclusive solutions were developed: the sun2flow, a solar water pumping solution available in both fixed and mobile version, the sun2live a modular solar energy generation and storage system for households, schools, business and small industries with weak or no grid, as well as the sun2fish, a solar based fishing buoy solution. "Developing new solutions has opened a whole new perspective and brought along exciting business opportunities," says Eric Borremans, International Sales Manager for The meeco Group. "Among these new solutions, the sun2flow has been particularly successful and has contributed to settle the company in new markets such as Latin America, India, Pakistan and other Asian Pacific countries where the demand for off-grid energy solutions as well as energy storage is very high", adds Borremans.

The meeco Group has also started diversifying its product offering, adding hydroelectric power generation to his portfolio, namely the water turbine solution from German-based Smart Hydro. This decision echoes the company's belief in providing the best renewable energy solutions, that meet all expectations, both economically and environmentally, for today's and tomorrow's energy needs.

About The meeco Group: The meeco Group was consolidated in 2000 and oriented its main focus towards the energy sector. With world headquarters located in Zug, Switzerland, the group currently has over 50 employees working across 4 continents. Thanks to a structured but flexible approach based on its core competencies, meeco has delivered over 250 MW of clean, renewable energy solutions across four continents. The meeco Group accomplishes its mission by providing project developers, investors, governments, and private businesses with the services necessary for timely financing, installation, and operation of clean energy assets.

For further information visit: www.meeco.net

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