News

29 June 2009

 

Q-Cells takes over Solibro CIGS joint venture

Q-Cells of Bitterfeld-Wolfen, Germany (said to be the world's biggest solar cell maker) has increased its stake in copper indium gallium diselenide (CIGS) thin-film photovoltaic module manufacturer Solibro GmbH from 67.5% to 100% by acquiring Swedish joint venture partner Solibro AB. In exchange, Solibro AB shareholders receive 3,988,170 Q-Cells shares (half of which are subject to a lock-up period of at least 180 days).

Solibro GmbH was formed in November 2006 to combine Q-Cells’ commercial and industrial backing with the CIGS thin-film PV technology of Solibro AB, which was spun off from R&D at the Ångström Solar Center of Sweden's Uppsala University in 2001. Made from CIGS layers on glass substrates, Solibro’s modules currently achieve an average efficiency about 10% (with peak values of more than 11%).

The first test modules were created on the production line in Bitterfeld-Wolfen (which is in Saxony-Anhalt’s ‘Solar Valley’) in spring 2008. Mass production began in third-quarter 2008. Already by September the firm decided to expand its annual capacity from 30MWp to 45MWp. Also last September, construction began on a second line. This should start production in fourth-quarter 2009 and, after about 12 months, achieve full capacity of 90MWp (with a module efficiency of about 12%).

In addition, the Solibro GmbH subsidiary Solibro Research AB at the Ångström Solar Center has realized efficiencies under laboratory conditions of up to a record 16.6% for mini-modules (on a par with the most efficient commercial crystalline silicon solar-cell modules) and 18.5% for solar cells.

“The potential of Solibro’s thin-film modules lies in the combination of high efficiency ratings with extremely low costs per watt [compared to crystalline silicon solar cells],” says Dr Florian Holzapfel, Q-Cells’ executive board member & head of the New Technologies division. “After we successfully implemented this potential in mass production as well, Solibro became an integral component of Q-Cells' thin-film strategy,” he adds. In 2005, Q-Cells also founded cadmium telluride (CdTe) thin-film PV manufacturing subsidiary Calyxo GmbH in Bitterfeld-Wolfen (beginning production in first-quarter 2008 at an annual capacity of 25MW). Also, last October Calyxo acquired CdTe PV maker Solar Fields of Toledo, OH (forming Calyxo USA Inc).

“Taking this step [acquiring Solibro] is a sign of our confidence in the technology,” says Solibro GmbH’s chief operating officer & managing director Dr Johannes Segner. “This way, we have the degree of freedom we need to develop Solibro into a leading global provider of thin-film technologies,” he adds.

See related item:

Q-Cells forms JV to commercialize Solibro’s CIGS PV technology

Search: Q-Cells Solibro CIGS Thin-film PV module

Visit: www.solibro-solar.de

Visit: www.q-cells.com