BP Solar Announces Two Mega Cell Plants

BP Solar today announced that it has begun constructing two mega cell plants, one at its European headquarters in Tres Cantos, Madrid and the second at its joint venture facility, Tata BP Solar, in Bangalore, India.

For phase 1 of the Madrid expansion, BP Solar is aiming to expand its annual cell capacity from 55 MW to around 300 MW. The Bangalore expansion could add another 300 MW to BP Solar's total capacity.

The new cell lines use state-of-the-art screen printing technology,much of it proprietary to BP Solar. By fully automating wafer handling,the lines will be able to handle the very thinnest of wafers available and ensuring the highest possible quality. 

"The announcement of the two mega cell plants cements BP Solar's commitment to maintain a market leadership position in PV" said Lee Edwards, BP Solar's CEO. "The new cell technologies we are using, our intellectual property in casting with Mono2 and the contracts we have signed to secure preferential access to metallurgical grade silicon are all important steps towards our goal of offering customers PV generated electricity on a par with the cost of conventional grid supplied electricity."

This announcement brings BP's total announced capacity to 690 MW, second behind Sharp.

Sharp currently  has three expansions underway which will bring their capacity to 820 MW per year.

These plants will bring us closer to being able to produce PV power at costs nearer that of conventional electricity. Several pundits have said that when production capacity reaches 1 GW at a single facility solar PV will be competitive with conventional electricity.  Between the proprietary processes of several producers and the experience and expertise that AMD AMAT is bringing to the field, reaching this goal is approaching faster than I had expected. 

Comments

[Rod]

do you mean AMAT rather than AMD? YES

[Watthead]

The SolarWorld facility announced for Hillsboro, Oregon is going to be a 500 MW/year facility, so we're getting closer to the 1 GW/year capacity you mentioned (about half way to be exact!). See here for more

Jesse Jenkins
_____________________
http://watthead.blogspot.com

[Thomas Foreman]

Solar energy makes me happy. I would to see more manufacturing in the United States. I would love to see us be producers and users of Solar Energy. Less dependence on other counties for our energy needs. If the Us government is going to supply funds for BP to generate PV they should recipracate by creating the means of production in the USA. Why are we giving them money to help shop jobs and energy creation to other parts of the world?

How much money did BP get in this last round of cash incentives? I'm not sure but I think it was 40 million or more?
If we incenives it we should have the manufacturing and jobs in the USA!
Thomas Foreman.

[GreyFlcn]

Well NanoSolar is pretty far along with their San Jose California CIGS thinfilm plant.

It's gonna manufacture 430MW of solar per year.

Cool part about CIGS thinfilm is that
1. The Capital Cost is about 10x less
2. The Materials Cost is about 10x less
3. The Labor Cost is comprable to automated printing newspapers.

Sure CIGS thinfilm is only about 10% effecient. But the cost is so low :P

But whats more, once they get those quantum dots worked out. CIGS thinfilm may be able to match solar thermal in solar effeciency.

[Bart]

I love solar power I think over the next few years it's going to be exploding even more... as performance of solar panels goes up people are going to be adopting it everywhere they can... after all it's free energy :) BTW here is more solar power information -> Solar Power

[mega mass 2000]

A very informative pst. I really learned something from your post. Thank you for sharing. Solar power is little expensive it produce very cheap energy and its for long time.

[OBDII scanner]

Technology is much advanced now and going so far away of what we ever dream off.

OBDII scanner

[Fashion Magazines]

Is Sharp associated with BP?