Tindo Solar Opens In Adelaide

Monday 9th January 2012 12:31pm

AUSTRALIA's only solar cell manufacturing plant is set to begin commercial production, having received official international certification today.

The certification from German electronic standards agency VDE means Tindo Solar's plant in Adelaide will be ready to produce over 300,000 panels a year at full capacity.

The opening of the Tindo Solar manufacturing plant comes just over a month after the closure of what had been its sole local competitor, Sydney-based Silex, which blamed its closure on reduced sales following a reduction in government support for the industry, plummeting panel prices because of a global oversupply, and the effect of a high Australian dollar.

Tindo Solar manager people and business Richard Inwood said the plant opening was the culmination of several years of work designing and developing the plant, which can produce a panel every one-and-a-half to two minutes at full capacity.

"Adrian (Tindo Solar managing director Adrian Ferraretto) had the gem of an idea a couple of years ago," he said.

"We've been working full-time since August and it's an incredibly complex undertaking."

Mr Inwood predicted the plant would be able to produce panels at about the same price as those imported from China through greater automation and improved efficiency, with just eight employees required for each shift.

However, he said the panels safety features and design the panels generate regular 240 volt AC power rather than the more common DC voltage were another key selling point.

"It ticks every single box you can think of," he said.

From January 2012, Tindo Solar will sell its panels through a mix of start-up solar businesses and existing solar companies that want to sell and stock Australian-made panels.

Mr Inwood said about 60 companies Australia-wide had to-date signed up to sell the panels.

"Half of them are new start-up companies, so the plant is providing new jobs in the industry," he said.

Energy Eco sales manager Dave Chiavaroli said he would be selling Tindo Solar's panels as a premium product.

"I'm viewing this as the Rolls Royce," he said.

The Gippsland-based solar specialist said the panels would provide customers with flexibility, allowing them to add individual panels to almost any part of their roof.

While he expected them to be priced at a little more than the cheapest imported systems, Mr Chiavaroli said he expected the panels to make up 40 per cent of sales once people understood their uses.

"There are a lot of people out there who will go for them when they know they offer more performance, reliability and are trouble-free," he said.

Source: The Advertiser 28 December 2011 by Julian Swallow