Sharp to Begin Mass Production of New Single Crystalline Solar Cells

Sharp Corporation has developed a new single crystalline solar cell with what the company says has a high conversion efficiency.


Sharp will begin mass producing this solar cell at an annual production capacity of 200 MW within fiscal year 2010 at its solar cell plant in Green Front Sakai, located in Sakai City, Osaka Prefecture, Japan. The facility will manufacture from solar cells through to solar modules.


The total investment in the facility will be 15 billion Yen.


This single crystalline solar cell with high conversion efficiency uses a Back Contact structure (electrodes are connected on the back-side), which eliminates the need for electrodes to be set on the front-side. This new structure increases the light-receiving area on the front-side’s surface.


In addition, a new alignment technology (Alignment Sheet system), which reduces the connection resistance between adjacent cells, was also developed. A broad range of applications in the global market, including residential and industrial use, can be anticipated in the future.

Further details about: Sharp Corporation

Sharp to Expand Annual Solar Cell Module Production Capacity in the UK to 500 MW

Sharp Corporation will double its annual production capacity for crystalline solar cell modules to 500 MW at Sharp Manufacturing Company of U.K. (SUKM), its production base in the UK (Wrexham, Wales), starting December 2010.

SUKM began producing solar cell modules in the spring of 2004, becoming Sharp’s second international production base for solar cell modules following a facility in the US. To meet the growing demand for solar cells, SUKM’s production capacity will be gradually increased, starting December 2010, from the current level of 250 MW per year to 500 MW by February 2011.

The solar cell market is expected to see expansion on a global basis, spurred on by environmental government policies in countries around the world. Sharp began research into solar cells in 1959 and since then has built up technologies and know-how as well as earned a reputation for reliability. Based on these achievements, Sharp is currently expanding its solar cell business from two sides—crystalline solar cells and thin-film solar cells. Sharp is also pushing forward with a “local production for local consumption” approach in order to increase cost competitiveness and shorten delivery times.

Sharp is aiming to become a company that provides total solutions in the field of solar power by globally expanding its new business model, which includes solar cell development, solar cell sales, and running a power generation business.

• Target date:    Increase gradually from December 2010
• Capital investment:   Approx. 4 billion yen
• Annual production capacity:  500 MW (in February 2011)

Sharp Starts Building Thin Film Modules in Germany

Hamburg, Germany: 

For the first time, Sharp Energy Solutions Europe is building solar power plants for energy providers in Germany. It is a project in cooperation with EnBW Erneuerbare Energien GmbH on the one hand and a project for the Pfalzwerke Aktiengesellschaft through the partner Eurosol on the other.

With an investment of around € 6 million in 2009, both megawatt projects promise good yields. Sharp’s silicon-based thin-film technology is a central success factor for the profitability of photovoltaics.

EnBW is entering into the solar energy market as an investor with the Leibertingen solar park in Baden-Württemberg and makes use of Sharp‘s solar technology in the process. The same goes for Pfalzwerke Aktiengesellschaft, with its photovoltaic plant in Höheinöd, Rhineland-Palatinate.

“Together with our partners, we could realise a showcase project which will act as a beacon even beyond the boundaries of the regions”, says Peter Thiele, Executive Vice President of Sharp Energy Solution Europe. “Both solar power plants clearly demonstrate how cost-effective photovoltaics can be, especially the thin-film technology. They make it clear that photovoltaics is a secure, profitable and environmentally friendly energy technology, thus making it a lucrative future model for energy providers.”

Roughly 17,000 Sharp thin-film modules produce environmentally friendly electricity in each of the solar power plants.

Second-generation microamorphous thin-film modules are used in both power plants: the 1.42 square metre silicon-based modules generate a high yield and are well-suited to sophisticated system designs thanks to their low output voltage of 60 volts.

“We put the world’s largest thin film cell factory online in March 2010 in Sakai, thus increasing our production capacity to its current 870 megawatts,” reports Peter Thiele. The technology enterprise also produces LCD panels in addition to solar cells here. The similar production processes secure important competitive advantages for Sharp:

"In Sakai, we can produce the raw material-saving thin film modules highly efficiently and cost-consciously”, Peter Thiele continues.

In the future, Sharp intends to produce thin film cells in Sakai in a microamorphous triple-junction structure and expand the production capacity to up to 1,000 megawatts.

source:  Sharp Energy

Solar Car to Lead Runners in Kenyan Open Marathon

A solar car equipped with Sharp solar cells will be the lead car in the 2nd Sotokoto*1 Safari Marathon on May 23, 2010 in Nairobi, the Republic of Kenya. The environmentally friendly solar car is driving in support of this open marathon in the equatorial country of Kenya, which boasts one of the highest quantities of solar radiation on Earth.

This open marathon is held to encourage people to contribute to society and protect the environment. The marathon was first held in 2009 as part of the Smile Africa Project*2, in which Japanese children donate their used shoes to their less fortunate counterparts in developing countries.

Once again participating as a runner in the race will be Naoko Takahashi of Japan, winner of the women’s marathon gold medal at the Sydney 2000 Summer Olympic Games. Behind the wheel of the solar car will be another luminary—Kenjiro Shinozuka, an experienced driver who has participated in solar car races in South Africa and Australia and who was the first Japanese to achieve overall victory in the Paris to Dakar Rally (in 1997).

The “ELA” solar car is equipped with Sharp polycrystalline residential solar cells.

Source:  Renewable Energy Sources    For full details regarding the marathon click here.