Oerlikon Solar, a global supplier of automated solar manufacturing solutions for the mass production of solar modules, has been awarded contracts with Taiwan's Auria Solar Co. Ltd. and Italy's Pramac SpA for 60 MW and 30 MW thin-film solar module production lines, respectively.
These production lines include Oerlikon Solar's micromorph tandem technology, which combines two different silicon materials – amorph and microcrystalline – boosting energy conversion efficiency levels by up to 50% compared to traditional amorphous single cells, the company says.
The Auria Solar agreement marks Oerlikon Solar's second major contract in Taiwan in 2007 and will boost Taiwanese production capacity to 100 MW. The Pramac order is the company's first contract that involves both Italy and Switzerland. Pramac's manufacturing location will be in Ticino, Switzerland, marking the first time Oerlikon Solar's manufacturing technology will be producing in Switzerland.
‘The orders from Auria Solar and Pramac SpA confirm our leadership in supplying cost-effective, fully automated production lines for thin-film solar modules,’ says Jeannine Sargent, CEO of Oerlikon Solar. ‘With these additional orders, Oerlikon Solar has now exceeded all targets for 2007.’
The Oerlikon Solar production line enables the manufacture of thin-film silicon modules via a turnkey solution that embraces the entire production process, from glass cleaning and in-line inspection to the testing of finished solar modules.
