Apex to reduce its chems use with solar technology

19 November 2008 11:18  [Source: ICIS news]

TOKYO (ICIS news)--Japanese semiconductor manufacturer Apex's newly developed solar cell production units co-created with South Korean counterpart PST Co will reduce its costs and use of chemicals, a spokesman from Apex parent United Technology Holdings said on Wednesday.

The solar cell units use a dry-etching technology which reduces the use of chemicals in solar cell production, the spokesman said.

He said the new units were 30% cheaper than the existing polycrystaline-silicon solar cell manufacturing units, which cost roughly over yen (Y) 2bn ($20.7m).

The spokesman said the units can produce 1,200 units/hour of polycrystalline silicone solar cells, which is an equivalent of 30-35 megawatts/year.

Icheon-based PST will sell the solar cell units in Korea, while Apex will sell them in Japan, China, India, Taiwan and elsewhere in Asia, on a full-turnkey basis, the spokesman said.

A Korean producer has bought and started operating some of the production units, the spokesman said, without disclosing the producer’s name or when its production began.

According to Apex, polycrystalline-silicon solar cells account for 60% of Japan’s solar cell market.

($1 = Y96.65)  

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By: Tomomi Yokomura
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