Auria Solar starts micromorph pilot production

TAINAN, TAIWAN & TRUEBBACH, SWITZERLAND: Oerlikon Solar, the world's leading supplier of thin-film silicon photovoltaic (PV) production equipment, announced that Auria Solar (Taiwan) is now the first customer in Asia to begin production of thin-film silicon solar modules using Oerlikon's micromorph technology.

Thanks to intensive cooperation between Oerlikon Solar and Auria's dedicated engineering and R&D teams, Auria Solar has already produced its first micromorph thin-film solar cell modules, less than four months after the equipment was delivered in August 2008.

Full-volume production will commence in Q1 2009 with yearly output capacity exceeding 60 MWp, helping Auria Solar move toward its goal of producing 500 MWp annually by 2012. Auria executives expressed strong confidence that the company will start to earn revenue as early as 2009, as present capacity has already been fully booked.

"The elements required to successfully compete in the global thin-film market include innovative and proven technology, end-to-end capabilities and extensive customer service that enable manufacturers to increase production as quickly and efficiently as possible," said Dr. Chi-Yao Tsai, CEO of Auria Solar. "Oerlikon Solar offers the strongest combination of these qualities and has consistently demonstrated that the company not only has proven technology but also has the ability to deliver and ramp-up systems in an extremely timely fashion."

Oerlikon Solar's proprietary micromorph process significantly boosts solar cell efficiency by adding a second microcrystalline absorber to the amorphous silicon (a-Si) layer. This layer converts the energy of the red- and near-infrared spectrum, facilitating efficiency increases of up to 50 percent. The micromorph technology also bolsters overall module power, enabling its customers to produce cost-effective thin-film silicon solar modules.

"Oerlikon Solar's proven ability to rapidly deliver production lines to customers is now established in Asia as well as Europe. Combined with our significantly reduced time to revenue this is a key differentiator that separates us from our competition," said Jeannine Sargent, CEO Oerlikon Solar.

"Our best-in-class production lines combine our mature mass-production technology with unmatched output and performance guarantees, enabling us to offer our customers high end PV solutions on a global basis. Auria Solar's success, as the first Asian producer of micromorph, represents another milestone in Oerlikon Solar's mission to make solar power economically viable as an alternative, sustainable energy solution," he added.