Energy Conversion Devices, Inc. Nasdaq: ENER) announced its subsidiary, United Solar Ovonic, has entered into a Memorandum of Understanding with Tianjin Jinneng Investment Company to form a joint venture to establish a 25-megawatt thin-film triple-junction amorphous silicon photovoltaic module manufacturing operation in Tianjin, the People’s Republic of China. ECD Ovonics’ Production Technology and Machine Building Division will build the manufacturing equipment for the joint venture. ECD Ovonics designed and built United Solar Ovonic’s existing 25MW photovoltaic manufacturing equipment and is building the second facility, which will double United Solar Ovonic’s U.S. manufacturing capacity.
In addition to its existing 25MW photovoltaic manufacturing plant, United Solar Ovonic broke ground in July 2005 for its second state-of-the-art solar module manufacturing plant in Auburn Hills, Mich., to double its solar cell/module manufacturing capacity. Occupancy of the new facility is scheduled for May 2006, and it is anticipated that the plant will begin manufacturing products in the fall of 2006 following optimization of the manufacturing equipment.
Compared to conventional solar technology utilizing single crystal or polycrystal silicon, United Solar Ovonic’s thin-film solar cells are 100 times thinner, do not use crystalline silicon material and, therefore, are unaffected by the scarcity of silicon worldwide. The products, unlike conventional glass-based PV products, are lightweight, flexible and rugged and can be aesthetically integrated into buildings.
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