Oerlikon Solar contract in mainland China for full vertically integrated thin film solar production line
Beijing, April 24, 2008
Source: Oerlikon Solar press release
http://www.oerlikon.com/ecomaXL/index.php?site=SOLAR_EN_press_releases_detail&udtx_id=5888
Oerlikon Solar and Baoding Tianwei announced today the contract signing for a turnkey thin film solar module production line. The initial production capacity will be 46.5 MWp (Megawatt peak) per year. The deal includes all major thin-film solar module production equipment including metrology and testing facilities. In the coming months the machinery will be shipped, installed and commissioned by a team of Oerlikon Solar experts. The project site is located in Bao Ding。
China and the Asian solar energy market are becoming increasingly important, and Oerlikon is well positioned to serve customers in this region. Oerlikon Solar’s decision to expand production capacity by opening a new site in Singapore is one example of the company’s global reach and commitment to serve customers in Asia. “With this major order we expand our footprint in Asia entering one of the most attractive solar markets worldwide”, states Dr Uwe Krüger, CEO Oerlikon. Oerlikon already can refer to two Asian customers, CMC and Auria Solar, both located in Taiwan. Within record time CMC together with Oerlikon specialists ramped up the solar factory. Pilot production at CMC has been started whereas manufacturing at full capacity level is scheduled for this year. “That clearly shows not only our ability to deliver on our promises but the field proven thin film silicon technology and solutions as well”, says Jeannine Sargent, CEO Oerlikon Solar.
Oerlikon Solar turnkey solution
The advanced Oerlikon Solar production line enables highly cost effective manufacture of thin-film silicon modules. The turnkey, end-to-end solution embraces the entire production process from glass cleaning and in-line inspection to testing of the finished solar modules. Another differentiating element is that Oerlikon Solar will provide its full-service package for commissioning the process equipment and securing production ramp-up. This agreement includes Oerlikon‘s entire metrology system for quality control, the “back end” of module production and its proprietary process technology. Of critical importance are the Oerlikon Solar proprietary TCO layers that play a central role by trapping the light in the photovoltaic thin-film maximizing the conversion efficiency. “Our capabilities to enhance the efficiency of proven thin-film silicon solar modules result in a direct reduction of cost of ownership. This is a major advantage for our customers in gaining market share”, says Sargent.