Kyocera Corp., the parent company of the Kyocera Group, has announced plans to expand its annual solar module manufacturing capacity to 500 MW by the end of March 2011 – more than doubling its current annual capacity of 240 MW. According to the company, it has secured supply contracts with silicon producers to ensure the steady increase in production capacity.
Kyocera will invest an estimated $250 million in plants and equipment throughout this network during the course of the expansion effort. According to the company, the 500 MW capacity would allow Kyocera to build 3.5 kW solar electric systems for 142,800 new homes each year.
‘The majority of Americans want clean energy developed into an affordable, mainstream resource,’ says Steve Hill, president of Kyocera Solar Inc., an affiliate of Kyocera Corp. ‘Kyocera is aggressively adding capacity both at our North American facilities and globally to meet this ever-increasing demand.’
