Growth in solar energy industry could lead to new jobs

Glyndŵr University’s Professor Stuart Irvine announced the findings during research into a ‘Road Map for PV industry and adoption in Wales’, which predicts an extra 1,000 new jobs by 2011 and 12,000 new jobs by 2025.

This research was conducted on behalf of OpTIC and the Welsh Opto-electronic Forum (WOF).

The jobs will be in a range of areas from the factory floor through to research.

Professor Irvine said: “The 12,000 figure is actually very conservative. It is quite possible that this figure could be considerably higher.

“North Wales has a strong industrial base as far as solar energy and research into solar energy is concerned, and we believe this is an area which will grow considerably during the next few years. As the industry grows, obviously there will be a knock-on effect of more jobs being created.”

Meanwhile, Glyndŵr University has been selected to host a prestigious science and technology conference which will lead to job prosperity and investment in the solar industry through leading-edge innovation. This is the fifth time the conference has been held, but the first time for North Wales.

The event – the largest of its type in the UK - takes place at the University’s new conference and performance centre from 1-3 April 2009. Leading international scientists will attend.

Prof Irvine added: “The fact that Wrexham, and Glyndŵr University in particular, has been chosen to hold this well-established event recognises the contribution which Welsh universities have made into research for solar energy over the years. It is a great honour for Glyndŵr University to be recognised in this way and an opportunity for us to showcase the emergence of its new research. It is particularly appropriate for the conference to be taking place in the region where the UK’s largest solar energy plant is based.”

The Sharp PV module factory plant based in Wrexham serves the whole of Europe, with 2,000 modules being shipped each day. These modules are basically solar panel units that can be mounted onto buildings to maximise energy production. To date some £21 million has been invested in production capacity at Wrexham.

The conference is organised by the UK section of the International Solar Energy Society in partnership with EPSRC’s PV-Net, which is a network of UK researchers and technologists working on new developments in solar energy. Sponsorship has been received from the Carbon Trust, PV Crystalox Solar and the Institute of Physics.

Professors from universities in Australia and Switzerland, in addition to the UK, have been invited to speak.