A major Korea-based PV module manufacturer has placed an initial order with Spire Corporation for advanced test and metrology equipment as part of a capacity expansion programme.
Spire said that the initial order related to sun simulators and electroluminescence testing equipment for a highly automated module manufacturing facility to handle an initial 100MW capacity expansion.
The company noted that the Korean customer had plans to expand capacity by over 400MW for c-Si modules due to demand for utility-scale PV power plant projects, indicating follow-on orders for Spire are possible.
Roger G. Little, chairman and chief executive of Spire, said: “We are very excited about the initial project and our long-term relationship as the manufacturing facility ramps its production volume over the next few years.”
Spire said that it was also providing the process and technical expertise to integrate multiple sun simulators and EL testing equipment into the highly automated plant that would see the initial module production ramp start in early 2014.
