MBPV to set up the world's largest Thin Film Solar Fab

Just days after inaugurating a 40 MW PV cell production facility (which is on target to reach 80 MW this year), Moser Baer Photo Voltaic announced much more ambitious plans for manufacturing thin film solar cells: to build the biggest plant in the world, in technology partnership with Applied Materials.

The technology partnership will enable a synergy between Moser Baer's manufacturing and technology strength, its European R&D lab and Applied Material, Inc.'s process and equipment development expertise. The combined capabilities bring scale economies to this industry by manufacturing thin film modules that are four times larger than current modules, making it a disruptive technology that provides a road map to sub-dollar per watt costs.

The $250m project will start with 40 MW and ramp up to 200 MW by 2009. Since the thin film market demand is estimated to reach 2 GW by 2010, MBPV looks set to capture 10% global market share by then. This would however be less than the proverbial tip of the iceberg. By 2010 thin film will be able to compete with fossil fuel power (without subsidies) and will see exponential growth from that stage.

The company has entered into a technology partnership with US-based Applied Materials to build the unit in its existing SEZ at Greater Noida... The unit for making thin films would be commercially operational by March 2008... Applied Materials CTO Mark Pinto said, "India holds tremendous potential both as a worldwide hub for solar panel production and as an end market for photovoltaic electric power." >>Rediff

Moser Baer PV, currently the hottest solar PV company in India, obviously intends to become the Suzlon of the relatively more hi-tech solar PV industry. A strong PV manufacturing capability will raise the hi-tech profile of Indian industry to that of those on the cutting-edge of semi-conductor and nano-technology manufacturing.

Links: Report on marketwatch.com
MBPV production facility on track

India's Renewable Energy SEZ

In what could be the single biggest boost for Renewable Energy in India, the Ministry of Non-Conventional Energy Sources has been working on setting up an SEZ for manufacture of renewable energy equipment. A brief history...

After a meeting with Minister of New and Renewable Energy Vilas Muttemwar, back in June 2006, the German Minister for Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety Sigmar Gabriel told a press conference,"A German business delegation will soon visit India, and explore with the Indian industry and the government, the possibilities of investments in the SEZ for renewables."

More details emerged one month later at the inaugural function of `Green Power 2006', a national conference and exposition on renewable energy organized by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII). A Special Purpose Vehicle called Future Energy Zone India Ltd (FEZ) was being promoted by Malavalli Power Plant (Bangalore) and European investors.

"The SEZ will house industrial R&D units, laboratories such as CPRI, testing units, educational and vocational training centres. Besides, an area for vendors will also come up. Later, industrial parks, convention centres and a logistics and transportation zone will be considered.."

The SEZ is to come up on 1000 acres of land and will generate 600 MW using renewable energy for captive purposes.

In infrastructure costs the SEZ will need, "about US $ 2 billion... just for setting up manufacturing units of poly silicon modules, cells, panels for solar energy, besides units for making turbines for wind energy, hydro and equipment for generating bio mass energy. "

Meanwhile, Parliament was told in October that the ministry had received investment proposals worth US $ 2.1 billion from US and German companies.

Among potential locations that the respective states have offered are Chennai, Vishakhapatnam and the Mangalore-Udupi region. Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh are also in the race to bag the SEZ.

India energy renewable energy