Sharp Energy Solutions Europe is building solar power plants for energy providers in Germany. The first projects being built using Sharp's thin-film modules are being done in cooperation with EnBW Erneuerbare Energien GmbH and Pfalzwerke Aktiengesellschaft respectively.

With an investment of around €6 million in 2009, both megawatt-scale projects are on track. Sharp’s silicon-based thin-film technology is a central success factor for the profitability of photovoltaics. Roughly 17,000 Sharp thin-film modules will produce electricity at each of the solar power plants.

“Together with our partners, we could realize a showcase project which will act as a beacon even beyond the boundaries of the regions”, said Peter Thiele, executive vice president of Sharp Energy Solution Europe. “Both solar power plants clearly demonstrate how cost-effective photovoltaics can be, especially the thin-film technology. They make it clear that photovoltaics is a secure, profitable and environmentally friendly energy technology, thus making it a lucrative future model for energy providers.”

Second-generation microamorphous thin-film modules are used in both power plants. The 1.42 square meter silicon-based modules generate a high yield and are well-suited to sophisticated system designs thanks to their low output voltage of 60 volts, Sharp said.