Mar 1 2010
With the construction of its second PV cell plant at the Nakatsugawa Works Iida Factory located in Nagano Prefecture being completed, Mitsubishi Electric Corporation is aiming to increase its PV cell and module production to 270 MW per annum by March 2011 from the current production level of 50 MW per annum. The company is planning to achieve an annual production capacity of 600 MW as soon as possible.
By fiscal 2012, the PV market across the world is expected to be about 8,000MW from the 5,550MW in fiscal 2009 due to government support in Japan through its stimulus programs for PV related products and spreading of feed-in-tariff programs in Europe. The PV market in North America is also expected to grow significantly. Mitsubishi Electric has expanded its production capacity in anticipation of the potential increase in the demand for PV systems in the global market.
The company’s strategy to increase its solar business includes production of monocrystalline silicon PV cells at Iida Factory after installing new equipment. The commercial production is scheduled to begin by March 2011. Simultaneously, the company will construct new production lines at Nakatsugawa Works Kyoto Factory located in Kyoto Prefecture for the manufacture of monocrystalline silicon PV modules. These modules are more efficient than polycrystalline silicon PV modules and are capable of generating more power.
Mitsubishi Electric is planning to produce monocrystalline silicon PV cells with high conversion efficiency by utilizing the same technology that enabled the company to achieve world record in conversion efficiency of 19.3% for polycrystalline silicon 150mm x 150mm PV cell.
Source: http://global.mitsubishielectric.com