Japanese thin-film manufacturer Solar Frontier could build a factory in New York state, its new president has said.
In an interview with the Wall Street Journal, Atsuhiko Hirano said the company hoped to start commercial operations at a potential new plant in Buffalo around 2018. A feasibility study is under way at a number of sites.
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Solar Frontier is also assessing the possibility of a manufacturing and research agreement with State University of New York, Hirano said.
Buffalo will also be the home to SolarCity’s Silevo gigafactory, which will receive US$750 million in support from New York State.
“Buffalo is one possible location for such a facility in North America, but we are still in the feasibility stages,” said Yuichi Kuroda, executive officer, vice president, global business development, corporate planning, Solar Frontier.
“It is important to remember that we are focused on completing the construction of the upcoming 150MW Tohoku Plant, which will act as a model for future overseas manufacturing facilities. This new production facility will enable production of CIS at higher conversion efficiencies and best-in-class cost levels. This is what we hope to bring to more customers worldwide as we expand globally over the next few years,” said Kuroda.
