Tuesday, February 5, 2008

Thin Film Si Solar Cells to Be Produced in India (First 'external' AMAT "SunFab")

From TechOn:

Moser Baer India Ltd of India has its optical disc and solar cell manufacturing center in Greater Noida on the outskirts of New Deli.

Other companies including LG Electronics of Korea and Franco-Italian STMicroelectronics also have their manufacturing facilities around it. Moser Baer's manufacturing center is currently drawing interest from solar cell-related manufacturers across the world.

Moser Baer's subsidiary Moser Baer Photo Voltaic Ltd is currently advancing preparation to manufacture a new thin film Si solar module. This solar module's distinctive feature is the adoption of a huge glass substrate that measures 2.2 x 2.6m. Its manufacturing equipment is a glass-to-module total production line dubbed "SunFab," which Applied Materials Inc (AMAT) is promoting.


Applied Materials' "SunFab" glass-to-module total production line for thin film solar modules

Moser Baer will be the first external company that AMAT has ever supplied its SunFab to. The new manufacturing center's success or failure is being closely watched not only by global solar cell-related manufacturers, but also by firms that are considering entering the market. That is because the glass-to-module production line lowers hurdles to entering the market, while the large substrate also slashes solar cell manufacturing cost....MORE