Applied Materials Inc. today said it has been awarded a milestone contract to provide T-Solar Global S.A. of Spain with what the Santa Clara, Calif.-based company claimed is Europe's first thin film solar module production line using ultra-large 5.7-square meter glass panels.

Financial terms of the contract have not been disclosed.

By scaling to these large-area substrates, the same size used in Generation 8.5 flat panel displays, this integrated line can drive down the cost of solar panel manufacturing while doubling rated factory output, according to Applied Materials. For installations such as large commercial rooftops and solar farms, these ultra-large substrates are expected to enable an additional 25 percent reduction in the cost of solar electricity, the company said.

Earlier this month, Moser Baer India Ltd. selected Applied Materials to develop and install what is believed to be the world's first Generation 8.5 thin film solar module production line in New Delhi, India.

T-Solar is expected to produce panels using the thin film production line supplied by Applied Materials by mid-2008. The contract provides that Applied will deliver a fully integrated equipment line for a solar panel manufacturing facility with a nominal rated capacity of 40 megawatts per year. This line can be configured for end-market product sizes from 1.4 square meters to 5.7 square meters, for customer flexibility, the company said.

"We are excited to be part of the first large-scale thin film solar factory in Spain as it leads the way in advancing innovative photovoltaic technology solutions for reducing the cost of electricity," Mark Pinto, senior VP and general manager of Applied Materials’ new business and new products group, said in a statement.

Applied Materials just officially announced its intention to enter the burgeoning solar market in September, when CEO Mike Splinter said that the solar industry had finally "reached the inflection point that Applied Materials had been waiting for." Applied Materials has since become a major player in the alternative energy realm, providing a combination of manufacturing tools, technology and process innovations from the flat panel and semiconductor industries, and has said it is looking forward to revenues of $500 million by 2011 from solar panel applications alone.

By: DocMemory
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