In its bid to expand capacity and become cost competitive with their rivals, AUO and SunPower’s Fab 3 facility in Malaysia has fabricated its first 100 solar cells, yielding a minimum conversion efficiency of 22.2%. Due to the successful initial run, the partners expect commercial production to ramp up later this year.
“Our initial production runs at Fab 3 exceeded 22 percent conversion efficiency, a truly remarkable achievement,” said Tom Werner, SunPower CEO. “This milestone positions AUO SunPower to meet the strong, global demand for our leading solar technology in 2011 and beyond. The combined AUO SunPower team has hit the ground running and is demonstrating our ability to attain our collective high standards of quality and reliability, while meeting our planned production schedules.”
“The AUO SunPower JV combines SunPower’s leading solar cell technology with AUO’s advanced manufacturing technology and efficient management,” said Mr. Feng Liang Chiu, President of AUO SunPower Sdn. Bhd., appointed by AUO.
Construction and manufacturing ramp at Fab 3 was reiterated is still expected to continue through 2013.
