The two thin-film solar power plants are in Leibertingen solar park in Baden-Württemberg and Höheinöd, Rhineland-Palatinate, and each solar power plant will have around 17,000 Sharp silicon-based thin-film solar modules and could produce 2.1 GWh annually.
Sharp’s second-generation microamorphous thin-film modules measure 1.42 m2 and have an output voltage of 60 volts.
Sharp is cooperating with EnBW Erneuerbare Energien GmbH and the PFALZWERKE AKTIENGESELLSCHAFT through the partner EUROSOL on the two megawatt projects representing an investment of around €6 million.
Peter Thiele, Executive Vice President of Sharp Energy Solution Europe, says: “Both solar power plants clearly demonstrate how cost-effective photovoltaics can be, especially the thin-film technology. They make it clear that photovoltaics is a secure, profitable and environmentally friendly energy technology, thus making it a lucrative future model for energy providers.”
Increasing production capacity
“We put the world’s largest thin-film cell factory online in March 2010 in Sakai, thus increasing our production capacity to its current 870 MW,” Thiele adds.
Sharp intends to produce thin-film solar cells in Sakai in a microamorphous triple-junction structure and expand the production capacity to up to 1 GW.