AUO, SunPower inaugurate Malaysian solar cell fab

The joint venture solar cell plant operated by AU Optronics and SunPower has been inaugurated. Among the key executives present were  Malaysian Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib. Construction and tool install will however continue through 2013.

The companies noted that the two-building facility would house 28 solar cell production lines and be capable of 1,400MW of annual cell production.

In operation since October 2010, current production stands at 5MW with solar cell efficiencies of up to 22.5 per cent.

“AUO SunPower will enable us to significantly increase the production of our high-efficiency solar cells in this state-of-the-art manufacturing facility,” noted Tom Werner, SunPower CEO. “Malaysia’s investment in the AUO SunPower joint venture, an excellent talent pool and a positive business investment climate, has given us the opportunity to significantly expand solar cell production that will meet the demand for solar worldwide, which has grown nearly eight fold over the past four years. We appreciate our partnership with the Malaysian government.”

The facility has also garnered recognition from the International Energy Agency for its energy-efficient design and SunPower has applied for both gold and silver Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certifications for its administration building and cell fab.

The site already employs a covered parking lot generating up to 2.6MW of power as well as a 10MW rooftop installation. A series of rain water retention ponds are used for environmental protection and water recycling as well as having heat recovery air compressors that provides all the hot water the facility requires.