NORTHBROOK, Ill., Oct. 16 /PRNewswire/ -- Underwriters Laboratories (UL),a world leader in Photovoltaic (PV) product testing and certification,announced today the immediate expansion of its Photovoltaic (PV) Technology Center of Excellence; North America's largest PV testing and certification facility in Silicon Valley, just four months after its grand opening.

In response to the increasing demand for solar innovation, testing, and certification, UL will expand its PV testing facility. As the only accredited National Certification Body (NCB) for PV product testing in North America, ULis dedicated to meeting the testing needs of manufacturers. This increase incapacity will allow UL to not only respond to existing industry demands, but also to make sure testing capacity is available for the solar innovation that exists within the PV marketplace.

"As demonstrated by the influx in industry demand, the need for solar-module testing capacity is critical for the continued growth and success of the industry," said Tom Kimbis, Acting Program Manager for the U.S.Department of Energy's Solar Program. "UL's expanded testing facility is good news for all -- the manufacturing industry, retailers, consumers and the economy overall."

UL's testing facility located in San Jose, Calif. will undergo a 13,500square foot expansion to provide 35 percent more space to UL's current PV testing operations. It will also include a 31 percent year-over-year increase in project capacity since the laboratory's grand opening in July 2008. The expansion will house six more test chambers bringing the total to 20 and include an additional solar simulation room. New jobs will be created as a result from the doubling of required technical positions.

"UL's dedication to the solar industry is apparent in their expansion herein San Jose," said San Jose Mayor Chuck Reed. "We're pleased to have them as business partners and look forward to their future growth and support of our community of solar manufacturers in Silicon Valley."

UL is dedicated to providing the best possible technical expertise and laboratory operations to the industries served, thereby helping manufacturers meet their product testing needs by providing the necessary technical expertise and accredited laboratory capacity needed.

"The expansion of our current facility is necessary to help drive the innovation and future technological advancements within the solar marketplace and a demonstration of our dedication towards the renewable energy sector,"said Bill Colavecchio, vice president and General Manager of UL's Global Industrial Products Sector.

"Through our partnership with UL, the City of San Jose and now SEMI/PVgroup, we are already far down the path of extending full life-cycle development, certification and deployment best practices through our members and partners. Going forward, given Silicon Valley's history of innovation and close ties to the venture capital community, we will continue to accelerate our transition from Silicon Valley to Solar Valley," said Doug Payne, Director of SolarTech Business Operations.

UL's Photovoltaic Technology Center of Excellence is located at 2191 Zanker Rd. in North San Jose, Calif.

For more information on UL's PV services, visit:http://www.ul.com/dge/photovoltaics/. You can also contact UL's Customer Service representatives at +1 877-UL-HELPS.

About Underwriters Laboratories

Underwriters Laboratories is an independent product safety certification organization that has been testing products and writing Standards for Safety for over a century. UL evaluates more than 19,000 types of products,components, materials and systems annually with 21 billion UL Marks appearing on 71,000 manufacturers' products each year. UL's worldwide family of companies and network of service providers includes 66 laboratory, testing and certification facilities serving customers in 104 countries. UL is also theonly National Certification Body (NCB) for PV in North America and an OSHA-accredited Nationally Recognized Testing Laboratory (NRTL).

SAN FRANCISCO — When it comes to the emerging U.S. solar technology industry, there's no contest: Silicon Valley shines the brightest.

"It's in the midst of the revolution," according to Gartner analyst Al Velosa.

The valley isn't the only tech center in the country working on the renewable energy source. But it has a potent mix of strengths that look good to analysts: California's overall enthusiasm for solar, public utility support, semiconductor industry veterans now working in the solar space, and high-energy startups.

"What makes the valley more interesting is that the wave of emerging startups are pioneering techniques that will help take solar power to the point of being competitive with regular electricity," Velosa said. "This is the where the real excitement and potential in Silicon Valley is."

That's just what SolarTech, a local organization dedicated to removing business barriers to the technology, wants to hear. Its 40 members include companies, utilities, and the city of San Jose.

Two years in the making, SolarTech was formally established in August. It's an initiative of the Silicon Valley Leadership Group, a government/business public policy organization focusing on the area's economic health and quality of life.

Members include SunPower, Chevron Energy Services, Applied Materials and Underwriters Laboratories, along with SunEdison, North America's largest solar energy provider, and Pacific Gas and Electric.

The organization hopes to add regional governments to its membership roster, said Doug Payne, who directs the group's business operations. Payne also manages commercial business development for REGrid Power, which designs and installs residential and commercial solar electric systems in the area.

There are big challenges in solar technology business processes, according to Payne.

Financing is one. The paperwork is not streamlined, and there's a lot of it. The building permit process--residential and commercia--is inconsistent. Getting permits can be done over-the-counter, or can take several weeks. "It's an extremely unpredictable process," Payne said.

In addition, governmental jurisdictions use different versions of the National Electrical Code. "That contributes to a tremendous amount of inefficiency," Payne said. "It-s a fundamental barrier to growth."

In spite of these roadblocks, SolarTech's vision is a 15 percent to 18 percent annual total reduction in solar installation cycle time and processes every year for the next five years.

The group also hopes to see expansion with the Energy Department's Solar America Initiative over the next three to five years. That initiative has designated 25 "Solar America Cities", which have committed to accelerating local adoption of solar technologies.

Solar tech is part of a larger scheme in San Jose: the Green Vision. Adopted in 2007, the Green Vision is a 15-year plan to transform the city into a world center of clean technology innovation.

Green Vision's goals include creating 25,000 cleantech jobs, reducing per capita energy use by 50 percent, obtaining all electrical power from clean and renewable energy sources, and building or retrofitting 50 million square feet of green buildings.

"We're one of the few communities that completely links environmental and economic goals," said Collin O'Mara, who has the title of clean tech strategist for the city.

Underwriters Labs has a major role in solar tech development in Silicon Valley. In July, UL opened a commercially focused photovoltaic testing and certification facility, the largest in North America, in San Jose.

The 20,000 square-foot complex, with 14 test chambers and two solar simulators, has indoor and outdoor testing capabilities to evaluate PV modules and panels. The goal is to enable solar products to get to market faster, said Bill Colavecchio, vice-president and general manager of UL-s Global Industrial Products Center.

PV will be competitive with traditional fuels for electricity generation in the next five to ten years, according to Colavecchio. And Silicon Valley will continue to be an innovator in the growing marketplace, he said.

"Silicon Valley will be one of the critical global leaders that will ultimately make PV mainstream," Colavecchio said.

But not everyone sees a completely sunny solar future. Cost is a serious issue, according to Gartner's Velosa. "The industry needs to get a lot cheaper," he said.

Washington could be more enthusiastic in promoting solar tech, Velosa added. "The U.S. government will support drilling through tax rebates, but they won't fund a new industry through investment tax credits," Velosa said. "That new industry, solar technology, would help drive both American jobs and U.S. competitiveness."

New UL solar certification lab fills a critical void in Silicon Valley

Wednesday, July 16, 2008, San Francisco - SolarTech, a non-profit solar industry consortium and initiative of the Silicon Valley Leadership Group, today announced the grand opening of an Underwriters Laboratories solar certification lab in San Jose. This landmark event, featuring a praising and supportive speech by San Jose’s Mayor Chuck Reed, demonstrates the successful first phase implementation of a three-phase plan to accelerate widespread adoption of solar electric systems and to promote growth of the solar photovoltaic industry as a whole.
 
"The UL PV Center of Excellence represents Phase 1 of SolarTech's Performance Standards roadmap,” said Tom McCalmont, REGrid President and CEO and SolarTech Chairman of the Board. “This momentous event is already very heartening but we will soon reveal our vision for Phase 2 & 3 of this solar revolution and when we do the future will look even brighter.”

“Until today, the nearest solar certification lab had been in a neighboring state. For all the Silicon Valley solar module companies who needed products certified before selling, this distance translated into higher costs and longer lead-times to get into the UL certification test queue,” said Doug Payne, REGrid Director of Commercial Business Development and SolarTech Director of Business Development. “But now, this local solar test facility uniquely positions SolarTech and UL to add significant value to the Silicon Valley PV and Clean Tech communities by bringing certification test capability closer to the world's center of solar innovation.”

Bill Colavecchio, vice president, Global Industrial Product Sector, Underwriters Laboratories, said, "UL's decision to establish our Photovoltaic Technology enter of Excellence in the City of San Jose was based largely upon a foundation consisting of strong support from the city government and the many surrounding businesses dedicated to researching and developing progressive renewable energy technologies. Our decision also complements Governor Schwarzenegger's renewable energy direction for the State of California.  We are truly excited about the San Jose location and look forward to future expansion with the program."
 

About SolarTech

SolarTech is a collaborative effort to create a Solar Center of Excellence in Silicon Valley. The purpose is to identify, prioritize, and resolve technical and adoption barriers to solar technology by addressing issues of performance, processes, standards, and workforce readiness. The SolarTech consortium's industry-spanning collection of products, services, and processes will assure companies of faster time to market, with lower risk, and higher rates of adoption in the target end markets. SolarTech is actively recruiting new member companies from every part of the solar energy value chain. To become a member of SolarTech or to get more information about the organization visit the website www.solartech.org. Or contact Doug Payne at (+1) 408.768.0449.

Former Secretary of State George P. Shultz Delivers Keynote Address at Major Industry Conference on Solar Power, Energy Efficiency and Clean Technology

SolarTech, a collaborative industry initiative created by the Silicon Valley Leadership Group, today announced the establishment of  the Solar Center for Excellence in Silicon Valley, a technical and educational resource focused on regional economic development and cost competitive solutions for the industry and its customers.

The announcement was made in conjunction with the Energy Summit 2007, a major daylong conference of top industry officials and companies conducted by the Leadership Group in partnership with the Stanford University Precourt Institute for Energy Efficiency, and hosted by SunPower at Cypress Semiconductor. The conference featured a keynote address by former U.S. Secretary of State George P. Shultz.

The energy summit examined ways of making Silicon Valley the epicenter for solar energy, energy efficiency and clean energy technology. Energy efficient technologies and practices are fundamental for three important goals – enhancing the economy, improving national security and reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

“The Solar Center for Excellence will be a catalyst for the solar industry in Silicon Valley to thrive and take its place next to high tech, biotech and life sciences as core economic sectors,” said Tom McCalmont, chairman of SolarTech and CEO of Campbell-based REgrid Power, a leading California solar integrator and charter member company of SolarTech.

“In order to sustain the solar industry over the long term, the cost of solar-generated power must be competitive with the cost of conventional electricity,” McCalmont added.  “The Solar Center will be a driving force for lowering costs and increasing photovoltaic, or PV, use in California. It will also provide access to training and certification for prospective and industry professionals.”

The center will focus on resolving the complex technological, administrative and financing challenges inherent in the delivery of PV systems – installation and performance standards, utility interconnections, rebate processing, building permits, education and workforce training, and financing.

“Many of the new technologies achieved by the solar industry originated, and are now flourishing, in Silicon Valley due to our culture of innovation together with abundant human and financial capital,” said Justin Bradley, Energy Director of the Leadership Group, which represents 210 Silicon Valley employers.

“The work of our energy committee in creating the Solar Center for Excellence will enable us to help chart a stable and disciplined course for this fast maturing industry, creating high quality jobs for the region,” Bradley added.

Silicon Valley is well positioned to build upon California’s leadership in energy efficiency, added Bradley. The implementation of AB32, the state’s pioneering greenhouse gas initiative, provides opportunities for, and challenges to, Silicon Valley companies. Renewable portfolio standards for electricity generation likewise provide opportunities and challenges.

Plans call for a physical home for the Solar Center for Excellence in the months ahead. For more information, visit the Leadership Group site at www.svlg.net or www.solartech.org.

About SolarTech

SolarTech is a collaborative effort founded by members of the Silicon Valley Leadership Group to create a Solar Center of Excellence in Silicon Valley.   Its purpose is to identify, prioritize, and resolve technical and adoption barriers to solar technology by addressing issues of performance, processes, standards, and workforce readiness.  SolarTech’s charter members include: REgrid Power, Horizon Energy Systems, Miasole, Silicon Valley Power, SunPower, NOVA Workforce Board, and PG&E, as well as Sharp Solar, SolFocus, SV Solar, Generating Assets, Tyco Electronics, and the Silicon Valley-based colleges.

About the Precourt Institute for Energy Efficiency (PIEE)

PIEE is a research Institute, founded in October 2006 at Stanford University, and funded by a generous gift from Stanford Alumnus Jay Precourt.  PIEE conducts research designed to improve opportunities for and implementation of energy efficient technologies, systems, and practices, including research into policies to support such improvements in energy efficiency.  For more information, visit piee.stanford.edu.