Kyocera Corporation Secures Silicon to Increase Solar Production Output up to 500 Megawatts by 2011.

Kyocera will invest 30 billion yen (about 200 Mio. Euro) in plants and equipment throughout its network during the course of the expansion effort. The company has secured supply contracts with silicon producers to ensure the steady increase in production output throughout its quadripartite global manufacturing network for solar products, which includes plants in Kadan (Czech Republic), Tijuana (Mexico), Tianjin (China), Yohkaichi and Ise (Japan).

“For the last two years, we endured a shortage of solar-grade silicon and have focused on improving solar-cell quality and energy conversion efficiency,” stated Tatsumi Maeda, senior managing executive officer of Kyocera Corporation and general manager of the company’s Corporate Solar Energy Group. “Among the world’s fully integrated suppliers that manage every stage of the process, from casting silicon ingot to engineering and supplying complete solar electric generating systems, our goal is to lead the industry in both quality and quantity.”

Mitsuru Imanaka, European president of Kyocera Fineceramics GmbH, adds: “The increase of photovoltaic production is a significant step for the photovoltaic industry in general. With the extended output of the assembly plant of Kyocera Solar Europe s.r.o. in the Czech republic our company will be able to provide not only more quality products to emerging markets in Europe but also to Rural Electrification market in Middle East and Africa.”

Expansion plans of Kyocera Corporation worldwide:

Kyocera Corporation, Yohkaichi Plant, Japan
Production of solar cells used by the other four production sites.
Production output: Increase from current 180MW to 500MW
Investment: approx. 20 billion yen (about 150 Mio. Euro)

Kyocera Solar Europe s.r.o., Kadan Plant, Czech Republic
Production of solar modules for the European market. Kyocera will add a manufacturing facility to expand the plant size twofold by the end of March, 2010.
Production output: Increase from current 25MW to 150MW
Investment: approx. 4 billion yen (about 25 Mio. Euro)

Kyocera Mexicana, S.A. de C.V. Tijuana Plan, Mexico
Production of solar modules for the American and Australian market. Kyocera will build a second two-story-facility in the Tijuana Industrial Park by the end of March, 2008 to expand the plant size tenfold.
Production output: Increase from current 25MW to 150MW by March 2011
Investment: approx. 4 billion yen (about 25 Mio. Euro)

Kyocera (Tianjin) Solar Energy Co., Ltd., China
Production of solar modules for the Chinese market. Kyocera will add equipments and increase its existing production area by 50 percent by the end of March, 2010.
Production output: Increase from current 30MW to 90MW
Investment: approx. 1 billion yen (about 6 Mio. Euro)

Kyocera Corporation, Ise Plant, Japan
Production of solar cells, modules and systems.
Production output: Increase from current 100MW to 110MW
Investment: approx. 1 billion yen (about 6 Mio. Euro)