The 'PV Business Tour Spain' from 13 to 17 November will focus on 'Huertas Solares' or solar farms. This is the major market segment in the rapidly growing Spanish solar PV market. Many Spanish PV companies develop multi-megawatt ground-mounted PV projects.

Rotterdam, 29 September 2005

The 'PV Business Tour Spain' from 13 to 17 November will focus on 'Huertas Solares' or solar farms. This is the major market segment in the rapidly growing Spanish solar PV market. Many Spanish PV companies develop multi-megawatt ground-mounted PV projects. Private investors are offered a financial yield of 8% or more during 25 years. Part of the 4-day tour programme is a dedicated symposium on this topic plus a project visit. The major players in this market segment will present their experiences and plans. Thanks to the contributions made by different organisations, the all-inclusive fee for the tour can be set at € 2,950. The details of the complete programme of this unique international trade mission and a registration form are available on our website: www.solarplaza.com.
The organisation is provided by www.SolarPlaza.com, the global solar PV marketplace. All persons interested in experiencing and exploring Spain and its solar business and investment opportunities can register.

Programme
Included in the 4-day programme are visits to Isofoton, Iberdrola, the Spanish government agency IDAE, the research institute CIEMAT and the electrical installer association FENIE (9,000 members). A brokerage event will be organised for the first day to meet with Spanish PV companies on a one-on-one basis. The symposium on 'Huertas Solares' plus a project visit are planned for the last day. The programme offers extensive networking possibilities and time to discover Spain's capital city, Madrid, by night.

Company visits
The future of financial support via the attractive feed-in tariff will be discussed during a visit to IDAE. Iberdrola is a major Spanish energy utility company and a worldwide leader in renewable energy production. It has over 3,300 MW of installed capacity. Recently, Iberdrola announced that it would build a 3 MW rooftop PV system on the new Telefónica office building. The national research institute CIEMAT will be visited to hear all about the technical aspects and their experiences with large ground-mounted PV plants in Spain. A meeting at Isofotón will give an industrial perspective of market developments. Isofotón is one of Europe's largest manufacturers of solar cells and modules and will open a brand new factory in November.
The present shortage of solar grade silicon opens up the market for concentrator PV systems. The Spanish multinational Guascor started a new company for this product. Their new factory in Spain is aiming to produce 10 MW in 2006. This technology will bring a new dimension to investment opportunities in solar farms. CPV systems will give higher yields with less silicon at even lower cost. A visit to their first project in Madrid is part of the tour.

Brokerage event with Spanish companies
The brokerage event on the first day will be held in Madrid. SolarPlaza will match interested Spanish PV companies with the delegates for one-on-one meetings based on the preferences of both groups. All major PV companies in Spain will be invited to participate in this event that will end with an informal reception.

Symposium Solar Farmes
The symposium on 'Huertas Solares' will be organised in the Navarra region where many of these projects are being realised. Several of the major suppliers developing multi-megawatt solar farms will present their investment opportunities. Enerpal is developing a 6 MW plant in Murcia. ITER holds the record of Europe's largest farm with 15 MW. This project sold out to investors within 3 month... A Spanish commercial bank will elaborate on the financial aspects related to these projects and private investment. German market leader Voltwerk recently started in Spain demonstrating that international companies are finding their way into what will become one of the major PV markets of the world.
An Ecotècnia solar farm will be visited in the afternoon. This daughter company of Spanish multinational Mondragón will develop several MW projects during the present and coming year.

Market expectations
The purpose of the PV Business Tour Spain is to provide participants with an opportunity to assess and explore business and investment opportunities. International delegates can promote their company and products in Spain. The programme is fully organised with room for informal meetings and includes stays in 4-star hotels and travel arrangements. Invited to join are business owners, entrepreneurs and executives interested in developing partnership networks and to discover investment opportunities. The Spanish solar PV market is expected to grow by at least 40% in 2005. Similar growth figures can be expected for the following year too. The Spanish Government has recently approved a raise of the PV goal to 400 MW of installed capacity by 2010. The attractive feed-in tariff in Spain provides a good foundation for this growth. The survey report from SolarPlaza entitled 'The Spanish PV Market' showed that farms are dominating the market. More and more companies discover the attractiveness of Spain since financial yields of 8% per year are possible in these projects.

About SolarPlaza
www.SolarPlaza.com is the global independent PV marketplace that offers a range of services that can improve the efficiency for all players involved in the PV supply chain. Our website provides information about 4,000 international PV companies and 2,000 PV products. It also offers an international Trading Floor where modules are offered and traded. The mission of SolarPlaza is to connect the market, both with regard to PV businesses and customers. SolarPlaza distributes a free e-mail newsletter (SUN) to about 11,000 people involved in the solar industry worldwide. SolarPlaza works with an international network of partners. The website will become available in Chinese and Spanish by next month.


Contact: Edwin Koot SolarPlaza
SOLARPLAZA President
Conradstraat 18 1E-154
Rotterdam
The Netherlands
P.O. Box 2299
3000 CG Rotterdam
Phone: +31 10 280 9198
Fax: +31 10 280 7265
Website: www.solarplaza.com
E-mail: e.koot@solarplaza.com