Jan 28 2011
In an ambitious move aimed at increasing its global customer base, Aide Solar today announced it has broken ground on the planned Phase 2 expansion of its existing 1 million sq. ft. poly and mono crystalline solar cell and PV module production factory in Xuzhou, China.
The expansion calls for the addition of a new 947,225 square foot production facility that will be capable of housing 2GW of module capacity under a single roof when it begins production in the fourth quarter of 2011.
Aide Solar Factory Expansion in China
After completion of Phase 2 construction, Aide Solar’s existing facility in Xuzhou will be modified to house solar cell production lines only, allowing for future expansion of cell production. Both the existing facility and the newly planned adjacent solar module facility are located on a 600 acre campus owned by Aide Solar’s parent company, The PANJIT Group.
“We remain dedicated to delivering cost-effective and reliable solar products in a timely manner,” said Jason Fang, Chairman, Aide Solar. “Having 2GW of solar module capacity consolidated into a single facility on our campus will give Aide Solar a distinct competitive advantage in the area of cost and manufacturing efficiency and customer responsiveness.”
In addition to the expansion of its China production factory, Aide Solar established its North America headquarters in Tempe, Ariz., in March 2009 to address the forecasted growth projections in the U.S. market. Global solar photovoltaic demand is forecast to reach 20.4 GW in 2011, according to Solarbuzz®, an international solar energy market research and consulting company. According to the Solarbuzz Quarterly report, 10.6 GW of photovoltaics were installed in the first nine months of 2010, charting a course for a record year. As a result, Solarbuzz has increased its 2010 forecast to 16.3 GW for 2010, an outcome that would represent 117% growth on 2009.
“The expansion and consolidation of our module production capacity will enable us to have a larger impact on the supply of alternative energy options,” said Eddy Fang, director of World Sales and Marketing, Aide Solar. “Having so much module capacity in one single facility will represent a signature milestone in the industry and allow us to respond rapidly to the high volume and continued growth of the solar market that Aide Solar is seeing in the U.S. and around the world.”