Trubbach, Switzerland [RenewableEnergyWorld.com] Oerlikon Solar this week at the World Future Energy Summit in Abu Dhabi, said that it plans to reach production costs at grid parity by the end of this year meaning the company is on track to offer its customers an advanced fab design capable of producing modules for $0.70/W by that time.
In the past 12 months, Oerlikon Solar said that it has driven down module costs by around 25 percent, raising efficiency and improving the productivity of its lines from 60 MW in 2008 to 100 MW in 2009 without additional equipment.
The company also said that it is on track to deliver another 30% cost reduction by end of 2010 enabling customers to offer solar electricity at grid-competitive prices in many parts of the world.
Oerlikon CEO Jürg Henz, said that a big part of the company’s strategy is to capitalize on emerging markets including Abu Dhabi and the rest of the United Arab Emerites.
In April 2006, Abu Dhabi made a bold and historic decision to embrace renewable and sustainable energy solutions. Over the past year, government policies were introduced in many regions, including the United Arab Emirates, which were intended to accelerate investment in solar PV systems and solar PV manufacturing as part of economic stimulus programs. Abu Dhabi aims to generate seven percent of the electricity it generates to come from renewable energy sources by 2020.
