More European Silicon Wafer Supply For Meyer Burger

• Meyer Burger and NorSun have entered into a long-term supply agreement for silicon wafers
• The unspecified quantity of wafers will continuously increase aligned with NorSun's wafer production capacity expansion
• Meyer Burger sees this agreement as helping it lower the carbon footprint of its modules and strengthen its supply chain

Norwegian silicon wafer supplier NorSun has been contracted by European solar cell and module maker Meyer Burger Technology AG to supply what it said is a significant volume over a long term, a move that the latter says strengthens the independence of European supply chains.

For Meyer Burger, this contract helps it secure a stable European supply in line with the company's plans to expand its solar cell and module production capacity to 3 GW by 2024, the company said. However, the contracted volume to be delivered was not revealed. The deal follows the August 2022 order it placed with another Norwegian company, Norwegian Crystals, for monocrystalline silicon wafers (see Non-Asian Silicon Wafers For Meyer Burger Technology).

Meyer Burger says this agreement with NorSun allows it to increase its share of European sourced wafers and lower the carbon footprint of its modules since the wafers will travel less. At the same time, NorSun claims its wafers have a low carbon footprint as these are produced using hydropower at its Årdal fab in Norway with an annual capacity of 1 GW, planned to be expanded to up to 4 GW or 5 GW over the next few years.

In February 2021, NorSun secured Environmental Product Declaration for its monocrystalline silicon wafers (see NorSun Secures EPD For Low CO2 Footprint Wafers).

Both the partners have agreed to continuously increase purchase volume as NorSun's wafer production capacity expands.

"We in NorSun are very pleased to sign up for this significant volume and share the long-term ambition of Meyer Burger to build a competitive European PV solar value chain. The contract fits well with our strategy to expand the capacity of NorSun," said NorSun CEO Erik Løkke-Øwre.

NorSun was established in 2005 by Dr Alf Bjørseth's Scatec, a Norway based renewable energy developer and IPP.

Meyer Burger and NorSun along with other European solar PV companies have been calling for the European Commission to provide public support of €0.10/W to €0.15/W of produced PV over the next 10 years to ensure a sustainable PV manufacturing industry in Europe, along the lines of the US Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), which has been attracting many company's to announce clean tech investments in the USA (see US Attracts $40 Billion Clean Energy Investments In 3 Months).

As Europe manages presently with a meagre 1.40 GW ingots and wafer production capacity, seriously lacking the ability to supply enough local products to meet 600 GW AC solar installation target by 2030, the commission has promised a Green Deal Industrial Plan to boost investment in clean-tech production. Details of the support are still awaited (see EU Promises Green Deal Industrial Plan For Clean Technology).