News | Energy Efficiency

http://www.newenergyworldnetwork.com/renewable-energy-news/by-technology/solar/solarion-to-step-up-production-after-walsin-lihwa-e40m-investment.html

The Asian division of wire and steel company Walsin Lihwa has bought a 49 per cent stake in specialist thin-film solar cell and module producer Solarion for €40m, allowing it to increase its manufacturing capability.

The investment, which was made through its subsidiary Ally Energy, was made by way of a €20m grant awarded from the Development Bank of Saxony.
Both companies also signed agreements on technical cooperation and licensing, which will see them partner to enhance the thin-film technology.
Yu-Lon Chiao, chairman of Walsin Lihwa signed the contract with Dieter Waffel, supervisory board chairman of Solarion, together with the company’s CEO Dr Karsten Otte, and its CTO Dr Alexander Braun, in Leipzig, which is the largest city in the German state of Saxony and where Solarion was founded.
With the investment, Solarion plans to construct an integrated solar cell and module fabrication facility with an annual production output of 20MW, which will employ 140 people, in the vicinity of the BMW Leipzig plant. It also plans to establish a further manufacturing plant with an annual production rate nine times higher, at 180MW per year.
Solarion said the partnership will pave its way into mass production, following a period of several years that it has spent on development.
‘We are pleased that we have found Walsin Lihwa, a global player and a strong partner, to support our long-planned global expansion strategy of cost leadership,’ said Solarion’s Otte.
‘Through our advanced technology and novel solar module properties, we will significantly decrease the cost of photovoltaic power generation.’
Solarion previously garnered investment from the Saxon Development Bank, CMS Hasche Sigle Düsseldorf, Euflex, Apricum and the Economic Development Offices of Saxony and Leipzig, to support the recent development of its various sites.
‘The copper indium gallium selenide [CIGS] technology has the highest efficiency potential in the photovoltaic thin film area. Together with the favorable cost structure of Solarion’s processes, we will attain a leadership position in the photovoltaics market,’ said Walsin Lihwa’s Chiao. ‘The co-operation with Solarion is an important step in the business development of Walsin Lihwa.’
Leipzig’s Mayor Burkhard Jung said, ‘A company with such an innovative technology fits perfectly to our city and is an important addition to the development of the ‘energy city of Leipzig’. Solarion creates many jobs in an area where we need them urgently.’
Since it was founded in 2000 in Leipzig, Solarion established the first European pilot-line for the manufacturing of flexible and highly efficient CIGS thin-film cells on a flexible carrier material, in 2002.