The new mass-production process reportedly allows Kyocera to manufacture photovoltaic (PV) solar cells with a thickness of 180 micrometers using advances in silicon ingot slicing and wafer coating.
The industry’s standard mass-production methods for multicrystalline silicon solar cells reportedly yield thicknesses between 200-260 micrometers.
Kyocera has said that the achievement is expected to be one element of its broader strategy to more than double its global production capacity for solar modules within three years, while minimizing its consumption of silicon.
Steve Hill, president of Kyocera Solar, said: Long-term contracts with our supplier partners assure us of sufficient silicon stocks to expand our production output from about 207MW of solar modules in 2007 to a target of 500MW in the year ending March 31, 2011.
