SunPower Corp., a Silicon Valley-based manufacturer of solar cells, solar panels and solar systems, has signed a five-year agreement with Jiawei SolarChina Co. Ltd. to secure a supply of monocrystalline silicon ingots and silicon wafers.
Jiawei is affiliated with SunEnergy, SunPower's solar panel assembly partner, and plans to scale its operations to 200 ingot pullers in Beijing. Beginning in 2008, SunPower will purchase sufficient silicon in ingot and wafer forms to satisfy production requirements that represent more than 900 MW of solar cell production based on SunPower's expected silicon utilization during the agreement period and subject to contract conditions. SunPower will provide polysilicon to Jiawei during the life of this agreement.