Sharp Doubles Solar Module Production Capacity in UK

In February 2007, Sharp Corp. expanded its annual production capacity for solar modules from 110 MW to 220 MW at Sharp Manufacturing Company of U.K. (SUKM) in Wrexham, North Wales, to meet a rapidly increasing demand for solar cells in Europe.

In Europe, electricity buy-back guarantee programs have been expanded to 20 countries, including Spain, Italy, Greece and France where, thanks to long hours of sunlight, highly efficient power generation is expected. In these countries, the number of installed photovoltaic (PV) power generating systems has been growing rapidly.

SUKM is Sharp's second overseas production base for solar modules, following a facility in Tennessee, U.S.A, which started production in 2003. The UK base began operation in the spring of 2004 with an annual PV module production capacity of 20 MW. Since then, capacity has been expanded; first, to 50 MW in May 2005, and then 110 MW in February 2006.

Sharp places the solar cell business along with the liquid crystal television business as one of its two key projects for fiscal 2007, aiming for a product turnover of 235 billion yen (about U.S. $1.99 billion), an 18 percent increase from fiscal 2006. For this purpose, the company plans to make capital investments of about 10 billion yen (about US $84.7 million) for the solar cell business in fiscal 2007.


http://www.sharp-world.com/corporate/ir/topics/pdf/shar070112e_1.pdf
- Sharp Maintains Top Photovoltaic Share 6 Years in a Row (Related JFS article)
http://www.japanfs.org/db/1459-e
- Sharp Expands Solar Cell Production Capacity to 600 MW Per Year, World's Highest (Related JFS article)
http://www.japanfs.org/db/1613-e
- Sharp Succeeds in Developing Mass-Production Technology for Triple-Junction Thin-Film Solar Cells (Related JFS article)
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Posted: 2007/06/04 01:31:39 PM
Japanese version