TSMC, CENTROSOLAR sign solar module manufacturing agreement

MUNICH, GERMANY & HSINCHU, TAIWAN: TSMC and CENTROSOLAR Group AG announced that the two companies have signed an agreement which makes CENTROSOLAR the exclusive European manufacturer of crystalline solar modules for TSMC.

Under the agreement, CENTROSOLAR will supply TSMC with an initial module capacity of 100 MWp per year using solar cells provided by TSMC. The companies are also discussing the possibility of further collaboration in the areas of product development and process engineering.

CENTROSOLAR will build up the capacity required for this agreement in a new production building adjacent to its plant in Wismar, Germany, and the first deliveries under the agreement are due in the third quarter of 2011. TSMC and CENTROSOLAR will not make public the financial terms of the manufacturing agreement.

“We are delighted to have this opportunity to work with CENTROSOLAR and to offer a true premium module as our first product, and we look forward to closer collaboration in the future,” said Ying-Chen Chao, Senior Director in charge of TSMC's solar PV business. “This agreement with CENTROSOLAR complements our efforts in developing thin-film solar products, as it allows us to address a broader range of market segments and serve our European customers together with another trusted name.”

“This agreement proves that we are perhaps the most efficient and highest-quality manufacturer of solar modules in Europe,” remarked Dr. Alexander Kirsch, CEO of CENTROSOLAR. “It also demonstrates that it is possible to keep manufacturing premium modules in Germany on a long-term competitive basis,” continued Kirsch.

The construction of a new production hall and warehouse in Wismar will give CENTROSOLAR the space to increase its existing capacity from currently 200 MWp to up to 500 MWp per year in line with demand. This will equip the company for further growth from both its own business and from contract manufacturing.

The first phase, which is to be completed by the third quarter, will add an additional 150 MWp of manufacturing capacity and provide an additional 300 job opportunities in Wismar, bringing the workforce there to 700. Once the new facilities are fully equipped, CENTROSOLAR will potentially have a workforce of over 1,000 people at Wismar.