NextPower Technology Unveils Ambitious Solar Cell Project
7 October 2008
NextPower Technology will invest around NT$90 billion over the next five years to build seven thin film solar cell factories, making it the world`s biggest supplier of its kind with a total output estimated at one gigawatt.
John Hsuan, honorary Vice Chairman of silicon foundry United Microelectronics Corp. (UMC), disclosed such a project when briefing President Ma Ying-jeou, who visited the solar cell company recently. UMC and Unimicron Technology Corp co-own NextPower.
Hsuan said the proposed factories would be built at the Central Taiwan Science Park. Ma, after being briefed, instructed official organizations to help NextPower as much as possible to acquire the needed land.
Founded in 1994 at a capital of NT$1.3 billion ($40 million), NextPower started up by making silicon crystal solar cells. Last year, the company branched out into thin film cell production after purchasing equipment from Japanese supplier ULVAC.
The company has spent NT$11 billion ($343 million) on three factories, with the first production line having begun volume production May this year and the second line to start up volume production at the end of Oct. This factory is designed for total output of 37.5 megawatts a year as soon as the second line enters volume production.
Its second factory is under construction and scheduled to begin pilot production in the second quarter next year. Construction of the third factory has just begun. According to Hsuan, the three factories are projected to have total output of 200 megawatts.
NextPower executives pointed out that, after the third factory comes online, each of the new factory is designed for output of over 200 megawatts, bringing the total output of the seven factories to one gigawatt upon startup of the last in 2014.
