SOLARCON India Advances Solar Workforce Development Initiatives in India

SEMI partners with the National Centre for Photovoltaic Research and Education (NCPRE) at IIT Bombay for first of its kind solar technical training in India

Chennai/, India - August 10, 2011: SEMI India will host the third edition of SOLARCON India, the region’s premier solar business and technology focused industry exposition and international conference from November 9 to 11 at the Hyderabad International Convention Centre in Hyderabad, India. The theme for this year’s exposition, representing the widening solar value chain in India, will be: “Showcasing the Solar eco-system: From polysilicon to power plants”. SOLARCON India will also feature a certificate short course on “Grid Connected Solar PV Systems: Design and Integration” in technical collaboration with the prestigious National Centre for Photovoltaic Research and Education (NCPRE) at IIT Bombay. The short course is part of a workforce development initiative determined as a priority by the SEMI India PV Advisory Committee to support the solar industry in India and the goals of the Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission.

“As a trade association we believe in bringing together our members with industry leaders to work collaboratively on issues such as workforce development” said Debasish Paul Choudhury, president, SEMI India. “SOLARCON India is not just another show in India. It is a platform to give voice to the solar manufacturing industry and eco-system in India and to further serve our constituents through a wide range of initiatives such as industry standards, public policy, market research and environmental, health and safety (EHS) programs.”

The SEMI India PV Advisory Committee represents companies that include manufacturers, equipment and materials suppliers, solar power project developers and academia, and connects the complete PV supply chain in India. The 15 members represent: Tata BP Solar, Applied Materials India, Lanco Solar, Solar Semiconductor, Moser Baer India, Titan Energy Systems, Oerlikon Solar, Websol Energy Solutions Ltd., SunEdison Energy India Pvt. Ltd., AES Solar Energy Pvt Ltd., Department of Energy Science and Engineering at the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, and Siemens Ltd.

Prior to SOLARCON India, SEMI, is organizing a short course on “Solar PV Power Systems: Concepts, Operation and Applications”, in technical collaboration with the NCPRE from August 24-26 in Jaipur, Rajasthan. Rajasthan is emerging as a major destination for solar PV investment and solar power plants activity in India.and is one of three regions in India that will make up 70% of India’s market growth in 2011 due to favorable state policies. (Source: Solarbuzz, August 2011)

About SEMI and PV Group

SEMI is the global industry association serving the nano and microelectronics manufacturing. The SEMI PV Group represents SEMI member companies involved in the solar energy supply chain. SEMI member companies are the engine of the future, enabling smarter, faster and more economical products that improve our lives. SEMI maintains offices in Beijing, Bengaluru, Berlin, Brussels, Grenoble, Hsinchu, Moscow, San Jose, Seoul, Shanghai, Singapore, Tokyo, and Washington, D.C. SEMI India, the Indian arm of the global industry organization SEMI was established in 2008 in Bangalore. For more information visitwww.semi.org and www.pvgroup.org. Follow SEMI India at http://in.linkedin.com/in/semiindia and http://twitter.com/SEMIIndia