Vortrag – 15:15 Uhr (Englisch)



"Solar Photovoltaics - Market and Technology"

Thomas Unger
Marketingleiter OCS (OPTO, Photovoltaik, LEDs), Air Liquide

With annual growth rates of more than 30 per cent, the photovoltaic industry is one of the booming lines of business in the world. The production of solar cells requires large quantities of industrial gases. One production line alone consumes several million cubic metres of nitrogen per year. The French group Air Liquide, a world leader in industrial and technical gases, has been actively involved in this market segment for several years now. In Germany, Air Liquide is the market leader in this segment and closely monitors the different trends and growth opportunities of this market. Well-known companies of this business line such as AVANCIS, QCells, Deutsche Solar, ErSol, EverQ, Johanna Solar, SunFilm and Sunways - to name just a few - are counted among the customers of Air Liquide in Germany. As a group with more than 38,000 employees worldwide, Air Liquide possesses extensive resources and know-how within its own ranks. The company combines its worldwide research capacities focussing on photovoltaics in order to anticipate the development of this market towards new technologies at an early stage and to become actively involved in it.

Lebenslauf Thomas Unger
Following his studies at the Technical University of Cottbus, Thomas Unger (36), graduate in process engineering, primarily planned chemical plants for Jacobs Engineering at Magdeburg and Krupp-Uhde at Dortmund.
In April 2001, Thomas Unger entered Air Liquide in Germany as Project Manager Engineering within the business unit Electronics. His activities mainly focused on the technical design and management of projects concerning gas supply systems for special gases, liquefied special gases and compressed air of high purity.
In November 2006, he moved to the Marketing & Sales department within the business unit Industrial Merchant. Since then, he has been responsible for the Germany-wide activities of AIR LIQUIDE Deutschland GmbH, Düsseldorf, in the market segments photovoltaics, optocompounds and LED.