Sharp in Japan, Operation Starts at Solar Cell new Plant in GREEN FRONT SAKAI

On March 29, 2010, Sharp Corporation started operations at its new thin-film solar cell plant in GREEN FRONT SAKAI, Sakai City, Osaka Prefecture, Japan.
This plant will produce thin-film solar cells using large-size glass substrates measuring1,000 x 1,400 mm. Thin-film solar cells have a structure in which thin layers of silicon are accumulated onto a glass substrate, enabling a dramatic reduction in the amount of silicon used, to approximately one hundredth the amount used in crystalline solar cells. The production processes are simpler, thereby lowering production costs. For this reason, the demand for thin-film solar cells, especially for use in large scale photovoltaic power generation, has been steady from all over the world.
The thin-film solar cell plant in Sakai will serve as a model plant for future Sharp thin-film solar cell plants around the world. Sharp will continue to accumulate and enhance its proprietary production technology and its know-how, to meet the world’s growing demand for solar cells.

Overview of thin-film solar cell plant

Location:		1 Takumi-cho, Sakai-ku, Sakai City, Osaka Prefecture, Japan
Production Capacity:		160 MW annually (at its initial phase)
Production Item:		Thin-film silicon solar cells and modules
Glass substrate size:		1,000 x 1,400mm