07 September 2011
pvXchange, the leading global online business-to-business exchange for photovoltaic (PV) components, has announced its entry into the North American marketplace with the opening of its US headquarters in San Francisco. The office will serve as base of all North American operations for the company, which also has a presence in New Jersey and Ontario, Canada.
pvXchange is an online exchange supported by an experienced sales team that brokers the sale and purchase of PV products between registered buyers and sellers. Registration on the platform is free for businesses involved in the solar industry.
pvXchange’s brokers and customer service team provide a one-stop shop for all solar procurement needs, assisting in completing transactions as well as providing technical advice and market perspective. The brokers focus on helping installers and project developers find the right module, at the right time, at the right price for their projects. pvXchange is the premier online exchange for PV components in the European market, having traded approximately 185 megawatts of solar modules and 85 megawatts of inverters in 2010. The exchange had over 300 suppliers and 2,500 active buyers in 2010.
pvXchange foresees continued growth of solar in the United States, which is anticipated to reach approximately 2 gigawatts of installations in 2011, with forecasts of 6 to 7 gigawatts annually by 2015. In pvXchange’s traditional core market of Germany -- still the number one solar market in the world -- and lately also Italy, the world’s second largest solar market, installations are expected to total approximately 10 gigawatts in 2011. The company has forecast its addressable market to be 21.6 gigawatts by 2015.
Additionally, pvXchange offers procurement advisory services. Drawing on its experience in conducting high-volume sales in Europe, pvXchange’s advisory services allow customers to focus on project sales and development while pvXchange works with leading manufacturers to source modules and inverters for systems ranging in size from hundreds of kilowatts to tens of megawatts.
Founded in Germany in 2004, pvXchange has seen 100% year-on-year growth for the past four years, and in 2010 traded 185-megawatts of solar modules. The US subsidiary will specialize in project sizes ranging from 200 kilowatts to 10 megawatts.
