We are happy to invite you to one of the most important events of the European Solar industry, Intersolar Europe 2023 is just around the corner.

On 14, 15 and 16 June,   you will find us at Hall A2.420  where we will be happy to show you the latest innovations our team of experts have developed.

Do you want to arrange an appointment with our Sales and Technical Team? Don’t miss the opportunity and make an appointment now, it won’t take more than five minutes!

THE SPECIALIST YOU NEED FOR YOUR PARTICULAR SOLUTION.

With over 20 years of experience, we are the best partner to advise you in finding the best solution for your special application of PV module manufacturing. Making it an exclusive and profitable solution for you.

VISIT US AND LEARN MORE ABOUT OUR TURNKEY LINES AND INDIVIDUAL EQUIPMENT.

At our stand, you will find information on the most advanced and automated high-tech turnkey lines along with individual machines, all of them developed by the Mondragon Assembly Team.

WE ENSURE THE TECHNOLOGICAL EVOLUTION OF ALL OUR SOLUTIONS

We live in constant change and the PV industry is no exception. We are aware that the technological evolution in the solar industry is a concern for module manufacturers. That’s why we work alongside the most well-known technological centres to bring you the best solutions available in the PV industry.

We are the best partner to guide you in the technological evolution of your solution. This approach helps us to ensure that none of our partners are left behind.

INNOVATION AND IP

Since our fundation in 1977, we have been committed to innovation as a means of achieving growth, dedicating large part of our resources to promoting new product research and development, and extending our comprehensive service offering.

We own several patents, Continous String being the most noteworthy one due to the amazing results it offers to our customers. It is a revolutionary concept that increases the throughtput by more than 10%.

So, what you are waiting for?

Come and visit us at stand  A2.420 or if you prefer you can easily arrange an appointment with our experts through our website. Intersolar is the perfect place to get to know our PV experts and get best advice for a tailored solution that meets your needs.

A project to customize BIPV stringer to produce architectural double glass modules for the building sector is ongoing.

Mondragon Assembly has received an order from one of the largest world’s leading glass manufacturers, Vitro. This order consists of a project to develop customized BIPV stringer to produce architectural GG modules for the building sector. This customized stringer will give customers flexibility with the different options that they want to achieve.

The stringer will be able to produce flexible strings in the production for BIPV and to customize strings lengths, automatically configuring different string lengths one after the other with a maximum length of 2,800mm. In addition, the machine will be also able to manufacture standard strings with a high production capacity.

The equipment is scheduled to be shipped to Mexico by the end of the year and will be ready for production at the beginning of 2024.

Mondragon Assembly supports VITRO in achieving its goal.

Mondragon Assembly will support VITRO to reach its goal, positioning VITRO in North America as the best manufacturer of architectural photovoltaic modules. In addition to the cutting-edge technology offered by Mondragon Assembly, Vitro will count on Mondragon Assembly Mexico for close and on-site support in technology and service.

About VITRO

VITRO is one of the world’s leading glass manufacturers as its glass products are part of the everyday life of millions of people. They are the largest glass manufacturer in the Western Hemisphere and the largest glass producer in North America. Established in 1909 in Monterrey, Mexico, over the years, VITRO has shown its commitment to leading the glass industry with ongoing research and technological investment initiatives. Architectural Glass is one of their business, and they are focusing on the Commercial Glass, Residential Glass and Specialty Glass sectors. That’s why they want to add value by including PV cells, which also helps them contribute to climate change and a better world for coming generations.

About Mondragon Assembly Group

Mondragon Assembly is an international group specialist in the development of automation and assembly solutions. The parent company in Spain, which is a cooperative, was created in 1977, and is one of the pioneers in the development of production and assembly technologies. Mondragon Assembly is divided into three business areas: Solar, E-Mobility and Energy Storage & Automation. Its main activities in each of these business include the development of turnkey lines and machines, and contract manufacturing, being able to offer solutions anywhere in the world with their six production plants and three technical and sale offices.

We belong to the Mondragon Corporation, one of the largest business groups in Europe.

Do you have special requirements in the PV industry? Do you need something special to differentiate yourself in the PV industry? Mondragon Assembly is the best partner for your particular solution. Contact us and let’s start this journey together!

This platform, developed in collaboration between Mondragon Assembly and IKERLAN, marks a paradigm shift in the exploitation of data and collaborative machine learning, guaranteeing data privacy.

Mondragon Assembly has already implemented the platform developed by IKERLAN in the production line of photovoltaic cells for solar panels at its Aretxabaleta plant and plans to have it in operation in a total of 10 production lines throughout this year.

Mondragon Assembly continues to strengthen its commitment to digitalisation with the implementation of EGOKIA, a pioneering cybersecure collaborative machine learning platform developed by IKERLAN technology centre that guarantees data privacy. With the development and implementation of this new technology, IKERLAN and Mondragon Assembly, a specialist in the design, manufacture and installation of equipment for the automation of assembly processes, are at the forefront of collaborative artificial intelligence applied to the automation of industrial processes in Spain. The EGOKIA project has received financial support from the Basque Government through the Hazitek R&D&I aid programme.

The EGOKIA platform, compared to current systems, allows the artificial intelligence models deployed in Mondragon Assembly machines and production lines to be “trained” collaboratively in local nodes of the different clients without sharing data between them. In this way, data cybersecurity is guaranteed and risks associated with data leakage are eliminated.

Mondragon Assembly has already started to use this platform on the photovoltaic cell production line for solar panels at its plant in Aretxabaleta and, over the course of the year, plans to have it in operation on a total of 10 production lines.

Jean Philippe Aguerre, manager of Innovation at Mondragon Assembly, says that thanks to the use of EGOKIA, “the company has a professional and robust tool capable of automatically generating and managing the different AI-based models that we use in production and customer plants around the world. Thanks to the platform developed by IKERLAN, we will be able to provide our customers with better services based on artificial intelligence that evolve over time, minimising costs, and gaining in efficiency and profitability, while also ensuring data privacy”.

Santi Charramendieta, researcher in the AI area of IKERLAN, highlights the importance of this case of technology transfer: “Currently, companies in our environment receive and store a huge amount of data, but they find it difficult to share, exploit and value this data. Our challenge is to design and implement solutions based on automatic and collaborative learning techniques that benefit in quality and reduce the cost of the production processes of each company.”

Opportunity for the Data Economy

The guarantee of governance and privacy offered by the EGOKIA solution developed by IKERLAN is also a business opportunity within the framework of the Data Economy, the promotion of which is one of the priorities of the European Union.

“The development of this platform also allows us to share new knowledge between companies in the same sector, such as the photovoltaic sector, to improve the standards of the sector as a whole, optimise production processes and better define quality criteria, all of which results in an improved service for our customers,” explains Jean Philippe Aguerre from Mondragon Assembly.

About IKERLAN

IKERLAN is a leading centre in technology transfer and in the contribution of competitive value to industry. It offers integral solutions combining different technological domains in two main areas: Electronics, Information and Communication Technologies (EICT), and Energy and Mechatronics. The technology centre’s team is currently made up of 400 people. As a co-operative member of the MONDRAGON Corporation and the Basque Research and Technology Alliance (BRTA), IKERLAN maintains a sustainable, competitive business model in permanent transformation.

About Mondragon Assembly

Mondragon Assembly is an international group specialising in the development of automation and assembly solutions. The parent company in Spain, which is a cooperative, was created in 1977 and is one of the pioneers in the development of production and assembly technologies. Mondragon Assembly is divided into three business areas: Solar, E-Mobility and Energy Storage and Automation. Its main activities in each of these businesses include the development of turnkey lines and machines and contract manufacturing, being able to offer solutions anywhere in the world with its six production plants and three technical and commercial offices.

It belongs to the MONDRAGON Corporation, one of Europe’s leading business groups.

The European PV manufacturing industry, ESIA, and the European Commission should operationalize emergency measures as soon as possible with an open mind, a dedicated effort, and concrete breakthrough proposals for scaling up European solar manufacturing.

European solar manufacturing is witnessing the emergence of a new, strategically important instrument – the European Solar PV Industry Alliance (ESIA), a long-awaited framework for better coordination of policy incentives and practical arrangements to bring PV manufacturing back to Europe. ESIA was launched in Brussels on Dec. 9 and the months ahead will be a litmus test for the European political and industrial community to check the seriousness of intent for a PV manufacturing renaissance in Europe.

The European Solar Manufacturing Council (ESMC) in December made overtures to the European Commission about what the bloc’s planned ESIA organization should address. The fundamental dilemma for Brussels is whether to stick to its internal-market fair-trade principles, and thus surrender any chance of competitive renewables manufacturing in Europe, or to distance itself from its long-held approach to trade. The ESMC says the answer is to take temporary, emergency action to help European solar manufacturing get onto its feet without abandoning, in the longer-term, the EU’s core values.

If Europe is to come up with its own Inflation Reduction Act moment, and incentivize a return of EU solar manufacturing leadership, it must lift state-aid related restrictions on the PV manufacturers who have announced a willingness to build 30 GW of production lines.

European solar ambitions cannot be viewed in isolation from the US policy drive but the EU is a hostage to its commitment to leveling the trade playing field among its member states, without reference to external markets. The energy crisis is further threatening the competitiveness of European industry. European solar manufacturers want an IRA moment in the EU, to avoid the continent becoming totally dependent on a mix of the current Chinese imports and future, made-in-America PV products.

Commitment to leveling the trade playing field among its member states, without reference to external markets. The energy crisis is further threatening the competitiveness of European industry manufactures want an IRA moment in the EU, to avoid the continent becoming totally dependent on a mix of the current Chinese imports and future made-in-America PV products.

We are the best partner to guide you in the technological evolution of your solution.

The Bundesnetzagentur (Germany’s Federal Network Agency) has announced a new round of a 5,850 MW tender solar ground-mounted production.

Since the start of the year, surcharges have been awarded for PV ground-mounted systems with an output of at least 1 MW. In addition, bids for ground-mounted systems are permissible up to 100 MW.

The Bundesnetzagentur recently raised the maximum value for tenders. The ceiling price is now €0.0737/kWh for the 2023 rounds for ground-mounted PV systems. This is to account for higher component, installation, and financing costs and to avoid unsubscribed tenders.

The advertised volume was not fully used in any round last year. For the November round, the Federal Network Agency even lowered the originally planned volume from 1,200 MW to 890 MW. However, only 104 bids for photovoltaic projects with a total of almost 609 MW were accepted. At €0.0580/kWh, the average, the volume-weighted surcharge was only slightly below the previous year’s maximum of €0.0590/kWh.

Tenders for large-scale solar systems will total 5,850 MW this year. The second and third phases will open on July 1 and Dec. 1.

There are also three rounds of tenders this year for rooftop systems with an output of at least 1 MW. The first round with a volume of just under 217 MW has already started and has a deadline of Feb. 1. A total of 650 MW are to be tendered in this segment in 2023, with the ceiling price being raised significantly compared to 2022 to €0.1125/kWh.

We are the best partner to help you to compete in the Solar Business

Our turnkey lines meet the production needs of each customer, providing solutions aimed at small
and large producers and combining different levels of automation.

The order consist of two state-of the-art Tabber & Stringers and a Lay-up system that will allow the French company to obtain a total production of 6,000 cells per hour.

Mondragon Assembly and Voltec have reached an agreement to upgrade the solar module assembly line that Voltec owns in France. It concerns the supply of two state-of-the-art Tabber & Stringers with their corresponding lay-up system. This lay-up system incorporates an electroluminescence system for the detection of defective strings. The total production capacity of the complete system will be 6,000 cells per hour. The stringers are equipped with a multi-step infrared welding system as well as a precise handling system for manufacturing strings using round wire. These technologies provided by Mondragon Assembly, together with Voltec’s extensive experience in manufacturing solar modules, will result in a high quality and efficient line.

The stringers and the lay-up system will be installed in the second quarter of 2023 and will enter into mass production in the summer. These machines will allow Voltec to increase their production capacity by 150MW with respect to gross capacity.

Important cooperation to reinforce the PV market in Europe

Electricity prices are rising dramatically, and renewable energy is currently the cheapest source of energy. These factors mean that the European PV market is in full swing. It is important that European companies work together and cooperate to build a European ecosystem to produce solar modules and all other components. This agreement between Mondragon Assembly and Voltec is a clear example of the will of the European industry to achieve these objectives. We are working to reindustrialize Europe and to move towards energy autonomy.

About Voltec

For more than 10 years, VOLTEC Solar has been producing solar photovoltaic panels. Based on the French-German border, the family-owned company, STRUB SA, decided in 2009 to diversify into solar. Based in a 4500 m² plant, next to the sister company and neighbour, ALSAPAN SA, a wood-based flooring and furniture producer since 1972.

VOLTEC’s technical team has 10+ years manufacturing and process know-how, agile enough to compete in a very volatile solar market. Thanks to its smart module engineering, VOLTEC Solar achieves a world-class Product Carbon Footprint (PCF), improving its supply chain and continuously optimizing its Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) to reduce its impact on the environment.

In 2019 the company decided to extend its production capacity from 70MW to 200MW for a line based on high performing and reliable European machinery, combining cell cutting TLS-Dicing, contactless infrared soldering, multi-stack lamination, electroluminescence, and A++ LED flasher quality inspections. In 2021, investment in new soldering equipment and higher line automation allowed the company to comply with the latest cell size trend. The company will double its capacity in 2023.

About Mondragon Assembly

Mondragon Assembly is an international group specialising in the development of automation and assembly solutions. The parent company in Spain, which is a cooperative, was created in 1977 and is one of the pioneers in the development of production and assembly technologies. Mondragon Assembly is divided into three business areas: Solar, E-Mobility & Energy Storage and Automation. Its main activities in each of these businesses include the development of turnkey lines and machines and contract manufacturing, being able to offer solutions anywhere in the world with their six production plants and three technical and sales offices.

We belong to the Mondragon Corporation, one of the major business groups in Europe.

The project consists of Laboratory Test Equipment for Energy Storage Technologies, for the Lithuanian company SoliTek. SoliTek is a high-tech solutions developer in PV module and stationary battery packs.

A new achievement for the Energy Storage Business Unit

Mondragon Assembly, a specialist turnkey line provider with high technological value that can be adapted to any existing requirement in the energy storage sector, has recently won an order from SoliTek. With this new order, Mondragon Assembly continues to consolidate its position in the market as a battery modules assembly line manufacturer.

This Laboratory Test Equipment for Energy Storage Technologies is suitable for stationary storage solutions in self-consumption systems and grid-connected systems, which can support renewable energies such as solar energy, wind power, and others. Also, these types of battery pack can be used for peak saving solutions, based on aligning the peaks of the distribution grid.

This project is a bet  that the Lithuanian company is making in the storage sector. “Developments and trends in the global renewable energy market have for some time indicated a growing demand for energy storage solutions. SoliTek therefore started several years ago to consider how to leverage its existing expertise to become the first manufacturer of an autonomous smart energy storage system (battery) in Lithuania. The company’s insights have proved to be correct and today, rising energy prices in Europe are driving demand not only for solar power plants, but also for batteries that help the consumer harness the full potential of a solar power plant,” adds  Julius Sakalauskas, CEO of SoliTek, on the other hand, research and development, is the focus.

This new Laboratory Test Equipment for Energy Storage Technologies will be ready in SoliTek by the first quarter of 2023.

This Laboratory Test Equipment for Energy Storage Technologies will enable the first research in Lithuania on intelligent off-grid power storage systems

Several solutions have been implemented in the project with the aim of ensuring research object quality, such as thermal inspection, width verification by laser, and welding verification by the vision system.

Undoubtedly, a challenge where the collaboration of both companies has been key. “In order to be able to adapt to the customer’s needs and provide them with what they need, we can clearly see that cooperation between us is essential, so we can deeply understand which are their main requirements and thus we can give the best solution “claims Pedro Illume, Director of Automation and Energy Storage Business Units.

About SoliTek

Vilnius-based solar module manufacturer SoliTek produces a full portfolio of solar modules in Lithuania. SoliTek currently exports 85% of its solar panels to EU countries. The company now has a production capacity of 180 megawatts. SoliTek is a greenest manufacturer in Europe and can offer the most innovative solutions for green Europe:   the solar power plant in the fields with “tracker” technology can generate up to 40% more electricity; solar power plants on the roof can generate 20% more power;  solar panels can be integrated into the roof (solar power plant as a roof) or even the façade (Solid Wall applications); solar power plants in agro industry (agro-solar power plants);  noise barriers with integrated PV solutions on motorways and railway tracks saving the construction costs, producing energy and safeguarding the population! SoliTek already makes use 100% renewable energy, and our panels are manufactured according to the strictest  environmental, energy saving, social justice requirements, do not use environmentally hazardous materials in their production process and are fully recyclable after 30 years of use.

About Mondragon Assembly

Mondragon Assembly is an international group specialist in the development of automation and assembly solutions. The parent company in Spain, which is a cooperative, was created in 1977, one of the pioneers in the development of production and assembly technologies. Mondragon Assembly is divided into three business areas: Solar, E-Mobility & Energy Storage and Automation. Its main activities in each of these businesses include the development of turnkey lines and machines and contract manufacturing, providing solutions anywhere in the world with its six production plants and three technical and sale offices.

Mondragon Assembly belongs to the MONDRAGON Corporation, one of the most important business groups in Europe.

The line has been installed at the customer’s site and manufactures battery packs that will be installed in electric cars and other small mobility vehicles.

Mondragon Assembly has designed and supplied a manufacturing line for battery packs to be installed in medium-sized electric vehicles such as electric bicycles, electric scooters, motorcycles, as well as in other advanced means of transport, for example high-capacity drones, robots or medical systems that require very high operational safety.

The line is robotized and automated so that various battery configurations can be assembled in different geometric blocks. Each individual battery can be picked up, sorted, checked and positioned according to its characteristics and polarity, and then anodic and cathodic welding of all the batteries in the chosen configuration is carried out using metal connectors. The plastic supports that close the block are also mounted on the line.

The system incorporates robots and artificial vision systems, as well as powerful control software.

The line has been installed at Batteries Prod (www.batteries-prod.fr), a leading French company in the design and manufacture of lithium-ion technology batteries and battery packs. Its new facility demonstrates its advanced technology and its significant growth in the market.

Mondragon Assembly in France has today achieved a remarkable leadership in the design of assembly lines for e-mobility, whether it is the assembly of batteries, rotor-stator assemblies for electric car motors, or components for e-cars.

This will be one of the most automated and biggest lines in North India with the capability of producing higher wattage modules with bigger cut cells.

A new milestone for Mondragon Assembly Solar in India

Mondragon Assembly, a specialist turnkey line provider with high technological value and adaptable to any existing need in the solar industry, has recently received an order from BVG India Ltd.

This is Phase-1 of the Multi-GW project of BVG, which has vast experience in the PV world. The customer, who is primarily focused on building clean energy projects across the world, including Solar PV projects, Solar Pumps and LED Lighting projects, has made the step up to become one of the manufacturers with the largest solar module manufacturing plant in northern India.

“We are proud to be part of our client’s ambitious project, and thus be able to accompany them in all the necessary steps to help them become a reference in the production of solar panels,” says Manish Bansal, Executive Director of Mondragon Assembly India Private Limited.

Highly Automated turnkey line upgradable to any next-generation cells and modules.

This new project, developed by Mondragon Assembly team, consists of a 500 MW automated and highly advanced technology State of Art Solar PV Module Manufacturing Line that will start producing M10, ½ Cut cells from day 1. The line that will be operational by the second quarter of 2023,is designed to produce more than 2,000 modules each day. Taking into account that the PV module and cell technologies are changing so fast, this line will be fully upgradable to next-generation modules and cell sizes between M3 to M12 and up to 15BB, and has the option of producing Glass-Glass and/or Glass-Back sheet modules.

Regarding the market that BVG will focus on, Mr Pankaj Dhingra, Director of BVG India Ltd. & CEO of BVG Clean Energy Ltd.,  says “First of all we will focus on supplying modules to Tier-1 solar EPC companies in India and abroad maintaining the highest quality standards.”

Mr. J S Bhatia, COO of BVG Clean Energy Ltd. added that “There is huge demand of high-quality and high-wattage modules in India and in countries like the US, Europe, Australia, Canada, and New Zealand.With this new world class line, we want to take advantage of this market situation with making EPC projects viable to develop with quality and competitive pricing.”

Project part supported by the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Tourism of Spain.

The project is supported by a certain percentage of funding from the Corporate Internationalization Fund (FIEM), a public instrument managed by the Spanish Secretary of State for Trade, aimed to promote the presence of Spanish companies and products abroad.

About BVG Group

BVG is ISO 9001: 2008, ISO 14001: 2004, OHSAS 18001: 2007, and SA 8000: 2008 certified group which is India’s largest integrated services group with 70,000+ employees serving 750+ government & private clients (in 22 states of India) like State Power Utilities, Nuclear Power Corporation, Supreme Court of India, Rashtrapati Bhawan, Parliament House, Prime Minister’s Office & Residence, Railways, Unilever, Bosch, Fiat, Hyundai, Adani, Accenture, HPCL, ONGC, Reliance, Tata Motors, Bajaj Auto, Volkswagen, etc. The Plant will be in Greater Noida, Uttar Pradesh.

About Mondragon Assembly Group

Mondragon Assembly is an international group specialist in the development of automation and assembly solutions. The parent company in Spain, which is a cooperative, was created in 1977, one of the pioneers in the development of production and assembly technologies. Mondragon Assembly is divided into three business areas: Solar, E-Mobility & Energy Storage and Automation. Its main activities in each of these businesses include the development of turnkey lines and machines and contract manufacturing, being able to offer solutions anywhere in the world with their six production plants and three technical and sale offices.

Mondragon Assembly belongs to the MONDRAGON Corporation, one of the most important business groups in Europe.

Both projects are progressing well and have become benchmarks in automation in their territories. The Queretaro plant (Mexico) currently employs 128 people and the Stahringen plant (Germany) 57.

2022 is a special year for Mondragon Assembly Group, as two of its oldest subsidiaries have been in existence now for 20 years and have celebrated it in style. It was in 2002 when the Group committed decided to set up its second and third international subsidiaries – the first one was the subsidiary located in Orange (France) – and two decades later the success in that decision is confirmed, as every year both subsidiaries have continued to grow, both in sales and in people, becoming automation leaders in their respective territories.

Mondragon Assembly Stahringen, flexibility and adaptability

In its 20 years, the German subsidiary has shown its capacity to adapt to the needs of every customer and carrying out projects for different sectors, which strengthens their position as a supplier capable of developing solutions customized to the needs of each customer. “During this time, we have developed very special projects with a high technological value for the automotive, battery and solar sectors, among others. Each project is unique, and our more than 20 years of experience gives us the ability to understand what the customer’s real needs are and to offer solutions with high added value,” says Peter Szepanski, Managing Director of the German subsidiary.

Photo: Mondragon Assembly Stahringen

Mondragon Assembly Strahringen, near Lake Constance, currently employs 57 people.

Mondragon Assembly Queretaro, benchmark in turnkey lines for automation

Photo: Mondragon Assembly Queretaro

Year on year, the subsidiary in Queretaro has consolidated itself as a leader in automatic and semi-automatic lines, mainly for the automation sector. At present, the plant is at 100% capacity and expectations for the coming months are very positive. “We currently have a team of 128 people, but we are predicting significant growth in order to meet market demands and turn them into opportunities to maintain our position as the highest benchmark in the region.

Right now, our team is focussed on the closure of this year’s projects, looking after the deadlines and quality of the latter, which has always been our trademark” adds Ricardo Bustamante, Managing Director of the Queretaro subsidiary.

On 1 October last, the twentieth anniversary celebrations were held in the Mexican city of Queretaro with every single person from the subsidiary and several members of Mondragon Assembly Group attending. During the celebration we gave thanks for the effort, passion and dedication of all the people who make up the team at Mondragon Assembly Queretaro.

Photo: Celebration of 20 years of Mondragon Assembly Queretaro

6 subsidiaries and 3 sales offices strengthen the international presence

In 1994, Mondragon Assembly decided to initiate an strategy of internationalisation, with the aim of increasing its overseas presence, thereby being able to attract projects from potential clients. Nearly 30 years have passed and the Group now has 6 subsidiaries who provide turnkey lines that encompass the whole of the value chain and 3 sales, engineering and service offices.

 

 

 

 

The video below was produced by the Queretaro subsidiary for the celebration of its 20 year history.

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