Solar ♦ news digest MW in the Tohoku region of Japan.
This will be Solar Frontier’s fourth manufacturing facility following its three plants in Miyazaki. The Tohoku Plant will be located at Ohiramura in Miyagi Prefecture and is scheduled to start production in March 2015 with a planned workforce of about 100.
With a lot area of 70,000m2, the total floor area is 15,000m2.
friendly and durable CIS technology that has been proven throughout the world.”
In 2013, Solar Frontier is celebrating the 20th anniversary of its R&D work on CIS technology. The company has grown steadily since opening its first 20MW plant in 2007, growing revenues in the residential, commercial and utility-scale markets. Solar Frontier now has gigawatt-scale manufacturing capacity, including one of the world’s largest plants, the Kunitomi Plant, which opened in 2011 in Miyazaki, Japan.
Its production processes are much more energy efficient and environmentally friendly than those used to manufacture crystalline silicon modules. Solar Frontier has also developed products and systems that deliver high added value to customers, including the thin, lightweight Solacis neo module from its 60MW MP2 factory, its CrossOne installation system for rooftop applications, and its optimised utility-scale systems.
Concept image of completed plant
The Tohoku Plant will leverage Solar Frontier’s latest mass-production technology, incorporating advanced features that increase manufacturing process efficiencies. This will enable the manufacture of high- performance CIS solar modules at higher conversion efficiencies and world-class cost levels.
The Tohoku Plant will also serve as a blueprint for future manufacturing facilities outside of Japan, in line with worldwide demand growth and Solar Frontier’s mid-term plans to build future plants outside of Japan.
Solar Frontier plans to invest about 13 billion yen (to build the plant, including a Domestic Business Promotion Grant from the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI), a Miyagi Business Promotion Grant from Miyagi Prefecture, and a promotion subsidy from Ohiramura for the entry of new enterprises. Products manufactured at the Tohoku Plant will be intended mainly for sales in the local region.
Hiroto Tamai, President and Representative Director at Solar Frontier, highlighted the importance of the new plant for Solar Frontier’s future growth plans and as part of the economic revitalisation of the Tohoku region.
Tamai states, “By extending new mass-production technologies proven at the Tohoku Plant to manufacturing and sales outside of Japan, Solar Frontier will establish itself as a strong global player. And by constructing the Tohoku Plant, Solar Frontier will help to revitalise the Tohoku economy, through collaboration with local industries and the creation of new jobs. Solar Frontier will continue to contribute to society by providing clean, renewable energy through its environmentally-
In R&D, Solar Frontier achieved aconversion efficiency of 19.7 percent with a cadmium-free thin-film solar cell (approx. 0.5 cm2). The construction of the 150 MW Tohoku Plant marks Solar Frontier’s next step toward global growth.
Expect 1MW CIGS
installations per month from XsunX
Following positive feedback from its campaign in South California, XsunX has set a new target for 2014. The solar cell manufacturer aims to increase systems sales more than was previously anticipated
CIGS solar specialist XsunX, has announced that response to its Southern California wide marketing campaign has received wide interest, indicating sizeable pent up demand for commercial and industrial solar systems.
“In spite of the holidays, the response we are receiving from our marketing efforts has been outstanding,” says XsunX CEO, Tom Djokovich.“Several potential customers each week are requesting quotes, with many projects requiring 100kW or more in PV system sizing. Our goal in 2014 is to grow our commercial and industrial PV systems design and installation business to at least 1MW of new systems per month. The initial results from our campaign are better than what we expected. Based on these early results, we are gearing up to meet the demand,” he notes.
XsunX’s focus on commercial and industrial PV systems January / February 2014
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