Suniva Expands U.S. Module Assembly and Research FacilityCapacity for U.S. Assembled Photovoltaic Modules Increased at Norcross, GA Plant and HQ
NORCROSS, GA – July 12, 2011 – Suniva, Inc., a U.S. manufacturer of high-efficiency monocrystalline silicon solar cells and modules, today announced it is expanding its photovoltaic (PV) module research and assembly capabilities at its Norcross, Georgia plant and headquarters. The expansion, scheduled to be completed in late August and operational in September, will enable Suniva to initially produce 25-30 MW of modules per year in Norcross. Suniva currently manufactures 170 megawatts of high-efficiency ARTisun Select™ series photovoltaic cells per year at this facility.
“Suniva’s high-efficiency modules already contain more than 80 percent U.S. content using our U.S. produced cells,” said Greg Mihalik, vice president of manufacturing and operations for Suniva. “Though Suniva already has one of the highest percentages of U.S. content in the industry, this expansion provides the ability for Suniva to offer even greater value for customers that require ‘Buy America’ compliant products.”
Suniva’s module production operation also aids in research on alternate materials and methods to optimize the power and reliability of its current and future products. New cell designs and prototypes can also be easily incorporated into full-size production modules or smaller “test coupons,” which can be extensively stressed in sealed thermal cycling and climate chambers on-site, or tested outside on portable stands or in the PV array at Suniva’s headquarters.
Suniva believes that this end-to-end R&D, manufacturing and testing capability from cell to module in one location offers superb technical advantages and faster time-to-market. This integration also fosters deeper systemic knowledge to make better decisions, enabling Suniva to continue to improve the design, power output and quality of its products.
Suniva recently announced that its next generation Optimus™ modules are certified, in production and available, achieving conversion efficiencies of more than 16 percent at the module level. For more information about Suniva and its products, please visit www.suniva.com.
About Suniva
Based in metro-Atlanta, GA, Suniva® manufactures high-efficiency monocrystalline silicon solar cells and high-power solar modules using patented low-cost techniques. Led by an internationally regarded team of business executives and photovoltaic scientists, the Company leverages exclusive licenses to critical patents and patent-pending intellectual property developed by founder and CTO Dr. Ajeet Rohatgi at the Georgia Institute of Technology’s University Center of Excellence for Photovoltaic Research, which is funded by the Department of Energy. Suniva sells its advanced solar cells and modules worldwide and is dedicated to making solar generated electricity cost competitive with fossil fuels. For additional information on how Suniva is making solar more sensible in the global market, please visit www.suniva.com.