With the installation of a second production line in its Katsuragi, Japan, factory, Sharp is increasing its thin-film solar production from 15 MW to 160 MW per year.
The new cells, with a micromorphous tandem structure, are made from glass substrates that are 2.7 times the size of their predecessors. This second-generation thin-film cell has enabled Sharp to increase module efficiency from 8.5% to 9%, with a module capacity of up to 128 W.
The modules will, in large part, be shipped to Germany and southern Europe for installation in large-scale solar power plants.
SOURCE: Sharp