Sep 21 2009
Leading solar photovoltaic companies in Germany are increasingly focussing on the so-called thin film technologies for the production of solar cells. Due to their lower usage of substrate materials, these innovative approaches are helping reduce production costs.
Since 2005, Air Liquide, the global leader in gases for the solar photovoltaic industry, has been delivering the necessary production gases, as well as related full services, to all customers located in Thalheim near Leipzig (Germany), the largest “Solar Valley” in Europe.
Air Liquide will now build a large dedicated on-site production unit – due to start up in 2010 to serve all customers in this high technology park. The particularly energy efficient unit, built to accommodate increasing demand from all solar cell manufacturers located in Thalheim, will ultimately produce more than 38 million tons per year of nitrogen and represents an investment of around €10 million.
It will notably ensure the nitrogen supply for Calyxo GmbH, a subsidiary of Q-Cells, one of the leaders in photovoltaics worldwide, as well as for a subsidiary of Sunfilm AG (former Sontor GmbH), and for Q-Cells AG.