Sunfilm AG and Applied Materials Inc. have completed installation of what the companies state is the world's first tandem-junction SunFab thin-film line. The line was installed at Sunfilm's Grossroehrsdorf, Germany, facility and achieved factory acceptance on April 14.
Using 5.7 square-meter substrates, the line passed final acceptance test certification, verifying that it has met specifications for producing solar photovoltaic modules with efficiencies of up to 8%, as well as yield and overall annual capacity specifications. The line is now beginning volume production.
‘We are pleased to have demonstrated that tandem junction technology is scalable to large-size panels and that these higher-efficiency panels can be produced at volumes that make them ideal for utility-scale solar installations,’ says Mike Splinter, chairman and CEO of Applied Materials.
SOURCES: Sunfilm AG, Applied Materials