Integrated Solar PV Manufacturing Planned In Spain

• GVA grants over €360,000 to Silicon Valen SL for the latter's plans to install solar panel manufacturing fab
• The company plans to eventually launch integrated solar PV manufacturing capacity in Spain
• Initially the plan is to procure raw materials and cells from European makers, and later expanding into vertical integration

Silicon Valen SL, a local Valencian company has secured a grant from the local government of Generalitat Valenciana (GVA) to materialize its plans of installing what the project promoters want to be an integrated solar PV module factory in Spain.

The company has secured a grant of €362,215.92 out of €1.44 million that GVA has shelled out as part of its 5^th phase of the implementation of the Strategic Plan of the Valencian Industry.

"Silicon Valen SL will carry out the 1^st phase of a process of implementation of the entire value chain of the photovoltaic solar energy generation process, from the purification of silicon to the manufacture of photovoltaic cells and modules, starting for the 1^st module factory, with the aim of guaranteeing energy independence in Europe and the decarbonization of the economy," stated the administration.

Silicon Valen is promoted by the President of the Valencian Association of Enterpreneurs of the Energy Sector (AVAESEN) Marcos J. Lacruz who is also the CEO of NRG Investment, along with Antonio and Gonzalo Navarro brothers who owned the now 'extinct' solar-grade silicon manufacturer Siliken SA. They are being helped by renewable energy consultant Manuel Argüelles.  

Local news portal Valencia Plaza reported that the company plans to use the grant to acquire machinery and equipment to start the panel factory under phase I for which the promoters already have secured private investment of up to €10 million. To begin with, raw material and cells will be procured from European companies.

Under subsequent phases, they want to bring online 3 production plants to manufacture silicon, cells and final assembly process for modules.

The €500 million macroproject is aimed at ending the strong European dependence on Chinese solar supply chain. The target is to bring phase I online in 2023 and start commercial supply from October 2023 for which Silicon Valen has already secured initial orders.

As Europe accelerates its pace towards decarbonization and calls for local manufacturing for solar PV, there is a growing interest from investors. In France, a startup called Carbon is pursuing plans to launch 5 GW solar module fab (see ISC Konstanz To Help French Solar Gigafab Go TOPCon).