GT Solar, a leading
global provider of specialized manufacturing equipment and technology essential
for the production of photovoltaic wafers, cells and modules and polysilicon
for the solar power industry, today announced that it has received final acceptance
for the design, installation and commissioning of the first integrated photovoltaic
(PV) solar wafer and cell turnkey fabrication line in Greece.
The state-of-the-art production line, created for Greece-based Solar Cells
Hellas S.A., has an annual capacity of 30-megawatts (MW). It delivers a stable
production process that produces high-quality multi-crystalline cells of optimum
efficiency. With the commissioning of this turnkey solution, Solar Cells Hellas
becomes the first PV manufacturer in Greece.
“The successful start-up of this wafer and cell turnkey line is additional
confirmation that GT Solar delivers to our customers advanced technological
solutions that are efficiently implemented through the application of our extensive
process know-how,” said Ron Jones, vice president and general manager
of GT Solar’s turnkey business. “We’re proud to have worked
with Solar Cells Hellas to open this world-class facility in the Greek port
city of Patras, and believe they are well-positioned to help meet the increasing
demand for solar energy in Greece and throughout Western Europe.”
GT Solar is one of only a small number of equipment providers that offers turnkey
solutions for every process involved in manufacturing PV wafers, cells, and
modules. The company’s turnkey solutions, which integrate GT Solar and
best of breed third party equipment, are built to increase customers’
productivity, boost quality and improve line yields, all resulting in a low
cost of ownership. Comprehensive training and world-class service back each
turnkey offering. GT Solar has successfully installed a variety of turnkey line
configurations in countries around the globe including China, India, Italy,
Taiwan, and the United Kingdom.
“Being new to the industry, Solar Cells Hellas needed a partner that
we could rely on – one with significant PV manufacturing expertise and
experience,” said Dimitris Panagakos, chairman for Solar Cells Hellas.
“Not only was GT Solar able to build and deploy our equipment, but they
also helped us design and configure our facility, and provided the training
that will allow us to realize the best possible results. We’re pleased
at how quickly we’ve been able to get our operations up-and-running, and
we look forward to expanding relationship with GT Solar as we grow our company.”
A GT Solar turnkey solution is built on the solid foundation of GT Solar’s
industry-leading directional solidification systems (DSS) furnace technology.
GT Solar’s wafer fabrication line (GT-WAFFABTM) delivers high-quality
multi-crystalline ingots to the wafer lines. It features leading-edge equipment
technologies for squaring, polishing, chamfering, wafering, cleaning, and inspection.
GT Solar’s cell turnkey line (GT-CELFABTM) is designed to produce high
efficiency solar cells from round or square, mono or multi-crystalline silicon
wafers.