Solar panel manufacturer boosts production

Due to surging international demand, manufacturers of solar cells are increasing their production:

Solar cell manufacturer SunPower has plans to expand the manufacturing capacity of its factory in Manila, The Philippines to 50 MW by the second half of next year.

All their current manufacturing is sold out.The increase will double the factory's current capacity of 25 MW and allow SunPower to better meet the demand levels for its product.

The new production line for the company's A-300 solar cell will be constructed within the company's existing 225,000 square-foot facility, which started production in March of 2004. Future expansion at the plant could exceed 100 MW, which is production of approximately 32 million wafers per year.

Wafers manufactured by SunPower have an all black contact designed to maximize the working area of the cell, reduce the need for wires and simplify automated production. Efficiency of the cell was measured at 21.5 percent, and testing was done at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory.

Demand for solar electric systems has been growing rapidly. According to Strategies Unlimited, a leading independent market research firm, industry shipments are projected to have increased by 47 percent to more than 990 MW in 2004, and have grown on average by more than 40 percent annually over the past five years.

In order for alternative energy sources, such as Solar Power, to take hold, even more production will be needed.