Tokyo-based Solar Frontier - the largest manufacturer of CIS (copper indium selenium) thin-film photovoltaic (PV) solar modules – has re-started production at its Miyazaki No.2 Plant. The plant at Kiyotakecho in Miyazaki, Japan (which has an annual capacity of 60MW) had been temporarily suspended since the end of 2012, and the firm has since been evaluating the feasibility of manufacturing new products.
In July, the plant will re-start manufacturing conventional thin-film CIS modules for residential use while final arrangements are being made to begin commercial production of a new type of module, which has been developed at Solar Frontier's Atsugi Research Center. Based on a feasibility evaluation, production of the new module will start in second-half 2013.
Miyazaki No.2 Plant (which opened in 2009) provided the experience that enabled Solar Frontier to open the 900MW-capacity Kunitomi Plant, Japan's largest solar module production plant. At the end of 2012, Solar Frontier temporarily halted operations at Miyazaki No.2 Plant, as it was able to streamline all production at the Kunitomi Plant. It is now re-starting Miyazaki No.2 Plant to meet growing demand for CIS thin-film modules.