Inovateus Solar and Solar Technology Manufacturers Combine Efforts to Educate Industry at Solar Summit March 29 - 31, 2011

SOUTH BEND, Ind., March 17, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Register today for the PV Power UP Solar Summit to get in-depth information on new and existing technologies in the solar energy industry. Leading manufacturers in the PV industry will be presenting at this event. The three-day event begins on Tuesday, March 29 at 10:00 a.m. followed by a jam-packed training and education schedule ending Thursday evening, March 31.

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Join Inovateus Solar for technology seminars held by Schott Solar, Uni-Solar, SMA America, Schletter, Solectria, and AlsoEnergy.

Schott Solar, Uni-Solar, SMA America, Schletter, Solectria, and AlsoEnergy are major sponsors for the event and will be providing extensive training and marketing seminars for attendees. SMA Solar Academy and Solectria Renewables inverter-training classes are conveniently built into the second and third days of the seminar schedule and can help NABCEP certified attendees earn continuing education credits—a $300 value included with the $300 registration fee for the three-day event.

PV Power UP Solar Summit Sponsor Presenters

Schott Solar PV, Inc. is a global leading diversified manufacturer of products and components used in solar power generation. In addition to being a market leader in the field of Concentrated Solar Power (CSP), Schott Solar has built on its over 50 years of PV experience to become one of the world's leading producers of photovoltaic (PV) modules. The company's annual capacity will exceed 800 MW in 2011 across its sophisticated global network of high-quality manufacturing facilities, located in Europe, the United States and Asia. The Schott modules for U.S. projects are manufactured in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

At the PV Power UP Solar Summit, Brian Lynch and Isabelle Chistensen will educate attendees on the different types of PV modules available. Modules are a commodity, and they will explore the differences in quality and performance in their training session.

"Inovateus Solar is one of our strongest partners," says Brian Lynch, eastern regional sales manager for Schott Solar PV, Inc. "Inovateus is one of our top integrators. We have worked with them on several 1+MW projects. The staff is very professional and we are thrilled to participate in the 2011 Solar Summit."

The California-based U.S. subsidiary of SMA Solar Technology AG, with headquarters in Germany, produces and sells solar inverters and monitoring systems for PV applications. Employing more than 5,000 people, it is the world leader in solar inverter technology and manufacturing with sales and service subsidiaries on four continents in 15 countries.  

Technical Trainer Greg Smith will present the company's line of products, which have been installed on the Vatican and the White House. SMA recently partnered with Inovateus Solar on a 182 kW project where 25 SMA inverters were used in Greenville, MI. SMA Solar Academy's inverter training class is conveniently built into the second day of the seminar schedule and can help NABCEP certified attendees earn continuing education credits—a $300 value.

"Inovateus is a forward-thinking company with ambitious plans, outstanding execution and an excellent reputation," says Greg Smith. "SMA is proud to participate in the PV Power UP event 2011 because it is an exemplary demonstration of the first-class support Inovateus provides its customers."

AlsoEnergy, a provider of an end-to-end software solution that monitors and manages renewable energy systems, will demonstrate the value of their monitoring systems as an asset to long-term PV system performance at the PV Power UP Solar Summit.

Holder of 12 patents, the Boulder, Colorado company makes trained staff available before, during and after construction to provide independent validation of system performance using sophisticated tools and models. Completed projects range from 5 kW to 10MW and include major U.S. corporations like IBM, DEC and Wal-Mart.

"AlsoEnergy is honored to be recognized as a provider of the highest quality, cutting-edge solar-monitoring systems on the planet," says Robert Schaefer, president/CEO. AlsoEnergy worked with Inovateus Solar on the Love Creek Nature Center project in Southwest Michigan and will soon begin a combined thermal/PV initiative with Inovateus. "We're excited to speak at the Power UP event to show Inovateus Solar's customers how to keep their PV systems running for years," Schaefer adds.  

Michael Kelly, manufacturing engineering manager at Solectria Renewables, will discuss "Commercial Inverter Training" in his NABCEP-certified presentation. Kelly has a Masters Degree in Mechanical Engineering.  

With roots in the electric-vehicle industry dating back to 1989, Solectria Renewables spun off from Solectria Corp. in 2003 to focus entirely on PV inverters, string converters and web-based monitoring systems. Headquartered in Lawrence, Mass., Solectria employs 140 people and has offices in California and Ontario, Canada. Products, all of which are made in the U.S., include 1.8 kW to 500 kW grid-tied inverters for 1 kW to multi-megawatt PV systems.  

"Inovateus is a wonderful partner and purchases many inverters that we deliver to their specifications," says Scott Bowden, business development manager. "We've seen their business growing well over the past couple of years and we're pleased to be a part of that."  

Uni-Solar is the world's largest producer of flexible solar panel laminates that can be bonded to most roof types, providing an infinitely renewable, virtually indestructible source of power. Co-speakers Chris Bala, vice president of sales for the Central U.S. and Canada, and Bernie Grant, applications engineer, will discuss Uni-Solar's products and provide application engineering guidelines.  

The company has collaborated with Inovateus on projects in New Jersey, Indiana and most recently in Greenville, Michigan, which resulted in an innovative deployment on both an existing direct bond to the City Hall membrane roof and a new metal substrate for the PV on airport hangers.  

"Inovateus is a top-tier channel partner for Uni-Solar," Bala says, "and we are pleased to be a sponsor and presenter of the 2011 PV Power UP Event."

Recent partnerships between Inovateus and Uni-Solar include Ameridian corporate headquarters in Cincinnati and the new TRANSPO building in South Bend, Indiana.

When it comes to designing and manufacturing solar mounting systems, few companies have the nearly 20 years of manufacturing and technological experience offered by Schletter. The company individually designs cost-effective solutions for project developers, module manufacturers and system integrators for commercial and residential solar projects.

Inovateus has worked with Schletter on several ground-mounted systems, including a 1.1 megawatt solar array consisting of 9,000 solar panels constructed over 7 acres for Dayton Power & Light.  

Sven Kuenzel, vice president of sales & marketing will present "Schletter Racking Systems" in South Bend. "We do not just consider Inovateus as a customer but as a fair and experienced partner in the solar field," Kuenzel says. "The working together of our two companies brings great value."

SOURCE Inovateus Solar