On 23 August 2017, exactly two years after the launch of a project to build a solar module factory for CTF Solar affiliate CNBM Optoelectronic Materials Corp. (COM) in Chengdu, China, the factory produced its first solar module.

A 1,600mm x 1,200 mm module from Chengdu factory compared with a standard-sized module

The factory was designed by developers and engineers from CTF Solar, who also developed the production processes used there. A CTF Solar team consisting of up to 10 specialists supervised and managed all the construction work.

The factory, which has a nominal annual capacity of 80 MWP, can be viewed as the prototype for a whole series of solar module factories in China and elsewhere that the CNBM Group will be offering for sale worldwide through CTF Solar. The CNBM Group is aiming for a total annual production capacity for thin-film solar modules of around 15 GWP.

Solar Factory in Chengdu, Main Entrance with Showroom

Solar Factory, Chengdu

 

 

 

 

 

 

The modules developed by CTF Solar are sized 1,600 mm x 1,200 mm, in line with the trend towards larger sizes in the thin-film solar industry. (For purposes of comparison, the photograph above shows one of the modules alongside a standard-sized solar module.)

“This first module represents a crucial milestone in the implementation of the CNBM Group’s business objectives, and in the global marketing of our technology,” said CTF Solar General Manager Dr. Michael Harr. “Now that we have verified the suitability of the production line, over the next few months we will be working with our colleagues in the operating company COM to bring the performance of the modules and the output of the factory up to the target values.”