Oct 29 2008
Spire Corporation, a global solar company providing turnkey production lines and capital equipment to manufacture photovoltaic (PV) cells and modules worldwide, today announced that Spire has been awarded a contract to provide a Spi-Line 30C complete turnkey factory to produce up to 30 megawatts (MW) per year of high efficiency solar cells for Hanwha Chemical Corporation (Hanwha). This is Hanwha's entrance into the solar market and they made the decision to work with Spire as a partner after extensive research and investigation. This will become one of the most modern cell factories in Korea.
Spire has had more than 25 years experience in developing solar cell processing technology which is embedded in Spire's turnkey cell line. The turnkey line includes all required processing equipment and critical process knowledge for making high efficiency cells. The Spi-Line 30C is capable of producing high efficiency cells using either mono- or multi- crystalline wafers. In addition, Spire provides in-depth training, factory layout, facilities and on-site support. Hanwha will be self-sufficient and able to operate the line without assistance after a ramp and qualification period. The solar cell line is scaleable, allowing Hanwha to easily increase capacity beyond 30 MW once the line is fully qualified and meeting production goals.
“We are excited to win this important contract. Spire is known worldwide for its module lines but this contract highlights Spire's cell line expertise,” said Roger Little, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Spire Corporation. “Spire's experience in solar cell production lines is also valuable to our module line customers to allow them to backward integrate.”
Hanwha's senior officer related to the solar project stated, “We had an extremely thorough process for choosing a partner to provide this key element of our solar business and Spire was the clear winner. They represent the best choice as a partner for this turnkey factory. Their deep technical knowledge and proven ability to make their customers successful set them apart from all others.”