ASE GmbH, Germany's biggest in-country manufacturer of PV modules in 1998, has entered into a strategic alliance with the Japanese technology and equipment supplier Kobe Steel Ltd.

Kobe Steel, which has good contact with the housing industry in Japan will market ASE's crystalline and amorphous silicon modules following the signing of a Distributorship Agreement in April this year. The alliance is seen as the first step towards a 'long-term and expandable co-operation', and is a shrewd move for both parties, given that Japan is currently the major market for grid-connected PV systems in the world. The Japanese government has set aside a budget of around 120 million USD for fiscal year 1999, to assist the deployment of 48 MWp of PV under its '70 000 rooftop' PV programme.

Information

• ASE GmbH, Alzenau
  Fax: +49 60 23 91 1188

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