SolarWorld hosts renewable energy discussions with visiting Prime Minister of North Rhine Westphalia
Camarillo, February 1, 2008 - SolarWorld's Camarillo solar photovoltaic (PV) factory hosted a roundtable discussion about energy conservation and renewable energy yesterday between City of Camarillo, Ventura County, and University of California representatives with Dr. Jürgen Rüttgers, Prime Minister of North Rhine Westphalia, Germany.
Following the discussion, all of the guests were treated to a tour of SolarWorld's factory, which has been manufacturing PV modules since 1977. SolarWorld is investing over $30 million this year to double the production capacity to 100 MW by the end of 2008. Guests were also introduced to SolarWorld's student intern Roland Libor, who told them about Bochum University's SolarWorld-sponsored solar racing team, which won the design award at last year's World Solar Challenge in Australia and is also entered in this year’s North American Solar Challenge in July.
Prime Minister Ruttgers, who served as Germany's Federal Minister of Education, Research, Science, and Technology from 1994 to 1998, is visiting Camarillo as part of a national informational tour of the USA. He used the occasion to talk about Germany's successful renewable energy programs as well to solicit advice from local officials about localized conservation and renewable energy programs.
The roundtable discussion, moderated by Cheryl Collart, Director of the Ventura County Regional Energy Alliance, included Bill Burratto, President of Ventura County Economic Development Association, Don Waunch, Vice Mayor of Camarillo, and Professor Ernst Ulrich von Weizäcker, Dean of the Donald Bren School of Environmental Science and Management at University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB), focused on energy policy issues at the local and state levels. Professor von Weizäcker is a well known statesman, author and environmentalist who served in the German Parliament as well as with the United Nations before joining the faculty of UCSB in 2006.
Boris Klebensberger, Chief Operating Officer of SolarWorld AG, welcomed the visitors to SolarWorld and gave them an overview of the company's US facilities in California, Oregon and Washington State. SolarWorld is the biggest manufacturer of PV technology in the United States.
Prime Minister Ruttgers continued his tour of California and was scheduled to meet with Governor Schwarzenegger and other state officials later that day.
About SolarWorld (www.solarworld-usa.com)
SolarWorld (ISIN: DE0005108401) is a worldwide leader in offering brand-name, high quality, crystalline solar-power technology. Its strength is its fully integrated solar production. From silicon as the raw material through wafers, cells and modules all the way to turn-key solar systems of all sizes, the group combines all stages of the solar value chain. The central business activity is selling quality modules into the installation and distribution trades and crystalline wafers to the international solar cell industry. Group headquarters are located in Bonn, Germany. The group’s largest production facilities operate in Freiberg, Germany, and Hillsboro in the U.S. state of Oregon. Sustainability is the basis of the group strategy. Under the name Solar2World, the group supports care projects using off-grid solar-power solutions in developing countries, exemplifying sustainable economic development. Worldwide, SolarWorld employs more than 3,300 people. SolarWorld AG has been quoted on the stock exchange since 1999 and today is listed on, among others, the TecDAX and ÖkoDAX as well as in the sustainability index NAI.
Media Contact:
Devon Cichoski
Media relations manager
SolarWorld Americas
4650 Adohr Lane
Camarillo, CA 93012
Mobile: 805-388-6388
Office: 805-377-2905
devon.cichoski(at)solarworld-usa.com