Moving a step further in the extension of its solar production facilities, Bosch Solar Energy has formally opened its new Arnstadt, Thuringia-based crystalline solar cell production plant. The 12,000m2 facility provides the company with extra capacity of 10,000 cells an hour, or 90 million solar cells a year.
“We will thus cover the complete crystalline value creation chain down to the basic material of polysilicon. This not only guarantees optimum performance and quality from our products, but also enables us to leverage cost reduction and technology potential far more effectively,” says Holger von Hebel, CEO at Bosch Solar Energy.
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With the completion of the Arnstadt plant, Bosch aims to almost triple its nominal capacity to around 630MWp and thus provide a major boost to its growth strategy. The expansion of its facilities will be completed in 2011, when the R&D centre and the new main administrative building are also finalized.
The opening ceremony for the whole complex will be held in summer 2011. By 2012, Bosch will have invested around €530 million in this location, creating a total of 1,100 jobs.