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| February 3, 2006 No.1094 | ||
| MHI to Build Additional Commercial Production Plant in Nagasaki For New Microcrystalline-Si Thin-film Tandem-type Solar Cells Annual production capacity to reach a total of 50 MWp per annum |
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| Tokyo, February 3, 2006 - Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. (MHI) has developed an amorphous-silicon (a-Si) / microcrystalline-Si (µc-Si) tandem photovoltaic (PV) cell production technology that achieves 50% higher maximum power output (150 watts per panel) than the company's conventional a-Si PV modules that it now produces. MHI plans to construct a commercial production plant for the new thin-film PV modules on the premises of its Nagasaki Shipyard and Machinery Works' Isahaya Plant where the company's a-Si PV module production base is located. The new plant will have a capacity of approximately 270,000 modules a year, an amount equivalent to 40 MW peak generation. Construction of the plant will commence this month, with product shipments scheduled to begin in April 2007. The investment sum is approximately 10 billion yen. | ||||||
The keys to realizing both high efficiency and productivity with a-Si/µc-Si tandem-type cells lie in a) light trapping for efficient utilization of solar light, and b) the technology for high-speed, high-quality µc-Si thin-film deposition. MHI has been working on these challenges leveraging its in-house capabilities in design and manufacturing of major production equipments, including plasma CVD (chemical vapor deposition), the core technology of the production process, and production know-how accumulated with a-Si PV modules. At its verification facility the company achieved the targeted power conversion efficiency and productivity on actual size panels (1.4 x 1.1 meter), leading to the decision to mass-produce the a-Si/µc-Si tandem PV modules. Since PV systems do not emit carbon dioxide (CO2) on generating electricity, they are drawing much attention as one of the technologies to prevent global warming. In recent years, the solar cell world market has been expanding rapidly at roughly 30% annual rate. MHI launched industrial production of a-Si PV modules in 2002 and has sold the products worldwide, especially in Germany and other European markets. To meet expanding demand, the company has recently been producing at full capacity. Another aspect of the thin film PV technology is, that it has, unlike crystalline Si PVs requiring polycrystalline or monocrystalline silicon material, which nowadays are short in supply, essentially no constraints on raw material side. So, the supply of PVs based on this technology is only limited by its production capacity and greatly contributes to stable cost and stable supplies of PVs. To seize this best timing of demand growth and supply constraint on crystalline Si PVs for marketing the a-Si/µc-Si tandem PVs, MHI decided to build the new PV production plant. The total production capability of both a-Si PV plant and a-Si/µc-Si tandem-type PV plant will be 50 MW, and MHI is targeting 15 billion yen in PV module sales in fiscal 2008. # # #
About Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. (MHI), headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, is one of the world's leading heavy machinery manufacturers, with consolidated sales of 2,590 billion yen in fiscal 2004 (year ended March 31, 2005). MHI's diverse lineup of products and services encompasses shipbuilding, steel structures, power plants, chemical plants, steel plants, environmental equipment, industrial and general machinery, aircraft, space rocketry and air-conditioning systems. For more information, please visit the MHI website (http://www.mhi.co.jp). PRESS CONTACT: Hideo Ikuno: h.ikuno@daiya-pr.co.jp Tel: +813-6716-5277, Fax: +813-6716-5929 Daiya PR (in charge of public relations for Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd.) |
