French solar module producer Voltec Solar is set to expand its gross annual production capacity by 150 MW after Spanish PV equipment supplier Mondragon Assembly delivers machines to help it process 6,000 cells/hour.
Voltec has placed an order for 2 state-of-the-art tabber and stringers, along with a lay-up system with the Spanish manufacturer under an agreement, to upgrade its French module assembly line. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Mondragon plans to deliver the order and install it in Q2/2023, following which Voltec will be able to enter its 'high quality and efficient line' in mass production in the summer. It explained that the lay-up system comes with an electroluminescence system to detect defective strings, while the stringers have a multi-step infrared welding arrangement and a precise handling system for manufacturing strings using round wire.
It is a good time to be in the solar business for companies like Mondragon especially since the European Commission has now promised to bring in state-aid in the form of Green Deal Industrial Plan to enable industrialization of European Union in the clean technology space (see EU Promises Green Deal Industrial Plan For Clean Technology).
"Electricity prices are rising dramatically, and renewable energy is currently the cheapest source of energy. These factors mean that the European PV market is in full swing. It is important that European companies work together and cooperate to build a European ecosystem to produce solar modules and all other components," stated Mondragon.
Voltec increased its production capacity from 70 MW to 200 MW in 2019 and plans to scale it further up to 500 MW by 2023. In November 2022, Voltec and the Institut Photovoltaïque d'Île-de-France (IPVF) said they planned to launch the production of 4T perovskite/silicon tandem solar panels in France, aiming for 5 GW annual capacity by 2030 (see 5 GW Fab For 4T Perovskite/Silicon Tandem Planned In France).