The Tenesol Group is a global player in the field of photovoltaic (PV) solutions and a leading operator in the French solar market. For more than 26 years, Tenesol has developed unique expertise in the field of solar energy across five continents with over 14,000 completed installations. Since it was founded, Tenesol has installed more than one million square metres of solar panels.
As a designer of PV solutions, Tenesol manufactures the modules that constitute the core of its generators. Currently its two production facilities - located in Toulouse, France, and Cape Town, South Africa - have a production capacity of 105 MWp per annum (500,000 modules per year).
To meet increasing market demand and consolidate its position as a global player, the group's production capacity will rise to 170 MWp per year (800,000 modules) – a 60% increase.
The Toulouse and Cape Town facilities will each be capable of producing 85 MWp per year. The Toulouse plant services the needs of European markets while the Cape Town plant manufactures modules used elsewhere in the world.
The Toulouse facility will increase production capacity to 85 MWp through the installation of a fourth production line. This line will be equipped with a Tabber Stringer machine, which can serialize PV cells, and a laminator used to create laminate composites (which combine glass, serialized cells encapsulated within an EVA (Ethylene vinyl acetate) layer and a rear insulating sheet).
The increase in production capacity means the Toulouse site will now operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week, creating 20 additional jobs.
Production capacity at the Cape Town facility will rise from 55 MWp to 85 MWp through the installation of two new Tabber Stringer machines.
Opened in 1999 and 2005 respectively, the South African and French production facilities represent a rich source of employment with 230 employees based in Cape Town and 150 based in Toulouse.