INTERVIEW - Conergy sees sales growth in Asia, Mideast

SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Conergy, Germany's second-biggest solar energy company, expects to generate a fifth of total sales from Asia-Pacific and the Middle East as sales volume doubles in 2010, a company executive said on Friday.

"Asia-Pacific and the Middle East are becoming a more and more interesting market that is moving ahead quite nicely," said Marc Lohoff, Conergy managing director for the region.

Conergy expects the region to contribute 15 percent to total sales for 2009. Next year, sales volume is expected to hit 30 megawatts.

Solar power companies have struggled through tight credit markets this year, and are looking for demand to pick up quickly in the coming months as more funding becomes available for projects.

"We're still looking at opportunities," said Lohoff on the sidelines of a clean energy conference in Singapore. "I'm sure for the market in 2010, we will see a tremendous growth rate."

Major Asia-Pacific markets from Australia to China and Japan to India have announced sweeteners to encourage solar projects. Some are raising solar energy targets to boost large-scale development.

Conergy is banking on such incentives to further boost the market, although the company has no immediate plans to set up a manufacturing facility in the region.

"We are not actively moving into manufacturing in other parts of the world," said Lohoff.

Conergy makes solar panels and components in Germany.

(Reporting by Leonora Walet; Editing by Chris Lewis)

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