"France is an extremely attractive market, which has enormous potential for growth," says Karl-Heinz Dernbecher, Vice President Sales at Solar-Fabrik.

"Together with our partners, we have increased sales here over several years. With our presence at the heart of the market, customers can now approach us directly. We are expecting to sell a total of approximately 20 MW of modules in France in 2010, with further growth predicted in 2011."

Jonas Doussal, Sales Director for France and head of the new branch in Lyon, adds: "In the future, the end customer market in France will continue to play an important role, with plants in the 3 kW output range. In this segment, powerful and aesthetically demanding solutions are required, which are provided by Solar-Fabrik in the form of its high-grade incell roof-integrated modules. Among our French customers, the new black Premium incell XM mono black module type is in particularly high demand."

Following Germany and Italy, France is one of the three fastest growing solar PV markets in Europe. According to official estimates, solar PV installations with a total capacity of approximately 850 MW will be installed in France by the end of 2010. The forecast for new solar PV installations in 2011 has already passed the 1 GW mark.