TSMC Solar and Sunshine PV Both Plan Capacity Expansions
2014/04/18 | By Ken Liu
While TSMC Solar Ltd., a subsidiary of foundry giant Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC), said it will triple output capacity to 120 megawatts of solar modules in the third quarter from current 40 megawatts, Solartech Energy Corp.-held Sunshine PV Corp. is working on a plan to boost capacity to 100 megawatts sometime in 2015 from the current 45 megawatts.
Both companies make modules out of copper indium gallium diselenide (CIGS) thin film. Worldwide, module makers using thin-film technologies include First Solar Inc. of the United States, which uses cadmium telluride-based (CdTe) film, and Solar Frontier K.K of Japan, a maker of CIS-film modules.
TSMC Solar is running at full capacity to fill orders mostly from Europe. In 2013, the company released an efficient module that achieved a 15.7% sunlight conversion rate. In that year, the company had revenue of NT$260 million (US$8.6 million), still below breakeven, and has yet to announce revenue goal for this year.
Sunshine PV primarily markets to Japanese buyers in addition to Europeans.
Industry executives note that thin-film solar modules are mostly integrated into private homes rather than solar-power facility, which is the primary market for silicon crystalline-based solar modules.
Industry executives point out that thin-film modules account for only 10% of global solar modules of various materials, much smaller than the huge share dominated by silicon crystalline-based solar modules. Taiwan's manufacturers of silicon crystalline modules include Motech Industries Inc., Neo Solar Power Inc., and Gintech Energy Corp., which have each built production capacity that exceeds one gigawatt. Solartech Energy may boost capacity to one gigawatt at the end of this year. (KL)
Production Plan at TSMC Solar and Sunshine PV
| Parent Company
| Company
| Current Output Capacity
| Planned Post-Expansion Capacity
| Expansion Timetable
|
| TSMC
| TSMC Solar
| 40MW
| 120MW
| Q3, 2014
|
| Solartech
| Sunshine PV
| 45MW
| 100MW
| 2015
|