EL SEGUNDO, USA: Amid $100-per-barrel oil, rising instability in petroleum-producing regions and mounting concerns over the environmental impact of fossil fuels, renewable energy — particularly solar — has emerged as a critical technology of the 21st century.

"Technology companies around the world now are focusing on the solar/photovoltaic segment, bringing to bear their expertise in diverse areas such as wafer processing, cell manufacturing and complex systems integration," said Derek Lidow, president and chief executive officer of iSuppli Corp.

"Those companies that can successfully identify and capitalize on the technologies, products and regions that will dominate the future of the photovoltaic market stand to benefit enormously. To help the industry understand the fast-changing world of solar systems, iSuppli is launching its Photovoltaic service, which will provide unique essential data and analysis including complete input/output models."

To establish the Photovoltaic service, iSuppli has acquired Munich, Germany-based Wicht Technologie Consulting (WTC), a leading provider of market intelligence on photovoltaics, Microelectromechanical Systems (MEMS), sensors and nanotechnology.

"We established WTC in 2000 with the goal of providing companies with the market analysis, business development and strategic planning support they need to compete in the fields of photovoltaic, MEMS and sensors research," said Dr. Henning Wicht, chief executive and founder of WTC. "WTC has been able to help numerous companies to realize the potential of photovoltaic technology. Now, we're pleased to bring our data and analysis and match that to iSuppli's global brand and extensive geographic footprint."

Photovoltaic service
iSuppli's Photovoltaic service, which will commence in the second quarter, will consist of three separate offerings:

* Photovoltaic Raw Materials, which will provide market intelligence on areas including wafer production and supply of glass and other raw materials.
* Cell and Module Production, which will examine the markets for various types of solar cells, including thin-film cells and modules.
* Photovoltaic Systems, which will research products and technologies including converters, concentrators and rotating systems.

"All segments of the photovoltaic market are growing rapidly," said Lloyd Kaplan, chief operating officer at iSuppli. "To compete, companies must make and manage major investments in technology, capacity and systems. iSuppli's Photovoltaic service will increase the value to many existing iSuppli clients already participating in the markets segment. We also look forward to introducing the many WTC global clients to iSuppli's and WTC's combined expertise and research methodology."

MEMS and sensors service
WTC also brings to iSuppli considerable expertise in the area of MEMS and sensors. Leveraging this, iSuppli is establishing its new MEMS service, also set to begin in the second quarter, which will offer forecasts, market shares and analysis of product manufacturing.

"From automotive infotainment, to mobile communications, to video-game consoles, MEMS technology represents a huge growth opportunity for the global technology industry," said Dale Ford, senior vice president, market intelligence, for iSuppli.