SunPower has signed a multi-year polysilicon supply agreement with Jupiter, a sales office of Qingdao DTK Industries, a corporation based in China.

Starting in 2010 and continuing through 2016, SunPower has contracted to purchase increasing volumes of polysilicon from Jupiter, Qingdao DTK. The agreement will provide polysilicon volumes sufficient to manufacture more than 3GW of solar cells based on SunPower’s expected silicon utilization during this period.

Jupiter, Qingdao DTK will build a new polysilicon manufacturing facility in Qingdao, China, in order to produce the polysilicon that will be supplied under the terms of this agreement.

Tom Werner, CEO of SunPower, said: SunPower is pleased to partner with Jupiter, Qingdao DTK as it extends its expertise into polysilicon manufacturing. Jupiter, Qingdao DTK will provide polysilicon to our ingot suppliers, supporting our drive to scale rapidly and cost-effectively to meet the demand for our high-efficiency solar systems.