Solar Cells Info

Source: Solar World AG /corporate News /April 13, 2007
http://www.solarworld.de/Corporate-News.78.0.html?&L=1

SolarWorld AG strengthens its leading position in the international photovoltaic market by consistently expanding its integrated production capacities. In the presence of the Federal Minister of Transport, Wolfgang Tiefensee, the group officially opened its largest expansion project to date, the new wafer factory, at the production location in Freiberg. With the new production facility in which highly advanced silicon wafers are manufactured the wafer production capacities in Freiberg will gradually increase to 500 Megawatt (MW) by the end of 2009. This is equivalent to a doubling of the current capacity. ‘With this millennium expansion we are presenting one of the most efficient wafer factories of our time. In it we will be leading the way of the international industry trend towards more
raw material and performance efficient wafers’, says Professor Dr. Peter Woditsch, CEO of the SolarWorld subsidiary Deutsche Solar AG. The new factory will offer more than 100 new jobs until 2008.

Further doubling to 1,000 MW scheduled

In addition to the new wafer factory the group at its integrated production location has the equivalent of 160 MW worth of solar cell capacities as well as solar module capacities which through subsequent investments will be boosted from currently 90 MW to 120 MW by the end of 2007. Against the backdrop of a persistently high international demand SolarWorld AG is planning to substantially increase its production capacity in Freiberg. The leading solar manufacturer is currently promoting the development of a 20 hectare industrial area with the option of doubling the wafer capacity in Freiberg in the next few years to then 1,000 MW by building a new fully integrated solar factory at that location. An integral part of this future factory will be the direct processing of half of the wafers into solar cells and modules. ‘With the persistent expansion of our capacities we are consistently strengthening Germany as an industrial location. Our headcount in Germany will continue to increase considerably’, explains Dipl.-Ing. Frank H. Asbeck, Chairman and CEO of SolarWorld AG.

Millennium building completed in less than 18 months

The latest SolarWorld AG expansion project could be completed in less than 18 months. For its largest investment project to date the group has so far invested some 60 million EUR. Another 100 million EUR will follow until 2009. In the new factory a highly advanced set of machines, some of them developed by the company itself, will be employed to turn crystallized silicon into high quality columns and wafers. For the project 20,000 cubic meters of earth were excavated and 3,000 tons of steel were used in the building. The wafers are gossamer thin discs of high purity silicon that are processed into solar cells and modules in further production steps.