THE BIG SOLAR GLASS SUPPLIERS: 
PRODUCTS AND PRODUCTION 

Alain Garnier
Saint Gobain, France 
Director Business Unit Photovoltaics

Alain Garnier worked for 12 years in the electronics and semiconductor industry (Philips Electronics) where he held various management positions in engineering, production and business development in France and abroad (The Netherlands, Austria, Hong Kong, USA). 

In 2002, Mr Garnier joined the Saint-Gobain group (world leader in materials), and in 2003 became director of the newly created business unit Photovoltaics within the Flat Glass division.

Since then, his role is to lead this activity through the period of unprecedented growth in the Solar industry and market. The Business Unit Photovoltaics of Saint-Gobain Glass Solutions offers extra-clear patterned glass and other added value glasses to PV module manufacturers worldwide. These innovative new products are helping PV manufacturers to harvest more of the sun energy and contribute to re-shape the way electricity is generated. 

Mr. Garnier is a member of the Photovoltaic committee of the French National Research Agency (ANR). In 2005, he was named expert to the European Commission in the framework of the European PV Technology Platform of which he is now a vice-chairman.

Mr. Garnier graduated in Engineering at the Ecole Centrale de Lille (France) in 1987, and studied at the Technical University of Berlin (Germany) where he was research assistant at the Fraunhofer Institute IPK. He received his Master of Sciences in Industrial Robotics from the Cranfield University (UK) in 1988.

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