Sharp to open solar battery plant ahead of time
Osaka, Kyodo, Jan 8, 2998
Source: JapanTimes.co.jp
http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nb20090108a4.html
Sharp Corp. will begin operating its new solar battery plant by the end of this year, earlier than spring 2010 as originally planned, to meet fast-growing demand, company officials said Wednesday. The ¥72 billion plant is now under construction in Sakai, Osaka Prefecture, to produce thin-film solar batteries at an annual pace of 480 megawatts initially, they said.
As demand for liquid crystal display panels as its mainstay product has plunged on a global recession, Sharp hopes to expand production of solar batteries for which demand is expected to increase amid growing efforts to fight global warming, an industry analyst said.
Sharp has announced a plan to form a joint venture with Italy’s largest power company, Enel SpA, this spring to build several solar battery plants in Italy.