US-based NanoPV to kick off operation at solar cell fab in 2Q
Nuying Huang, Taipei; Rodney Chan,
Source; DIGITIMES, 17 January 2008
http://www.digitimes.com/bits_chips/a20080117PD209.html
NanoPV, a US-based specialist in thin-film solar technology who has teamed up with Taiwan-based Kenmos Photovoltaic, will kick off operations at its New Jersey, US fab in the second quarter, according to NanoPV president Anna Selvan John. The new plant, which will house a solar cell capacity of 5MWp, is chiefly meant for the development of PV technology and equipment, he said. The plant is expected to put out tandem junction thin-film solar cell making equipment by the end of 2008.
While NanoPV is unlikely to expand the New Jersey plant’s solar cell manufacturing capacity, John said the company is looking for another site in the US to build a second fab for the production of thin-film solar cells. He said the company will decide on a site by the end of this year, and will ramp up capacity to 30MWp in the first quarter of 2009.
John said the PV cell market is growing fast, but as growth will be affected by different policies in different countries, making it difficult to make precise predictions of the market size in the next few years. However, he estimated that the global PV cell market in 2008 will reach 3-5GWp. NanoPV last September signed a five-year contract with Kenmos Photovoltaic, a subsidiary of Taiwan-based backlight unit (BLU) maker Kenmos Technology, to supply thin-film solar cell production technologies and related equipment.