1366 Technologies Supplies Direct Wafer Products for First Commercial Solar Array of 500KW

500 kW solar installation will feature more than 120,000 wafers made with 1366 Technologies’ Direct Wafer process.

1366 Technologies has announced that Japan’s IHI Plant Construction Co., Ltd (IPC), has started construction on a 500 kW solar installation that will feature more than 120,000 wafers made with 1366’s Direct Wafer process. The array, located in the Japanese prefecture Hyōgo and consisting of IEC-certified modules fabricated by a Tier 1 manufacturer in China, is the world’s first commercial installation to include the Company’s wafers. 1366 Technologies managed the module procurement to support this project with IHI Group.

“This commercial array builds on the many successes we’ve had at test sites around the world and clearly demonstrates our ability to run the Direct Wafer process at scale. We’re incredibly proud that IHI Group selected our technology for this project. This installation, coupled with our recent performance records, drives home what makes our manufacturing technology so revolutionary: we have the ability to deliver a better product at a dramatically lower cost,” said Frank van Mierlo, CEO, 1366 Technologies.

The company in a statement said its highly efficient manufacturing process enables faster energy payback for the modules and uses safe, earth-abundant raw materials appropriate for addressing the world’s energy needs at a terawatt scale. IPC received delivery of the modules on March 3 and the new array is expected to be commissioned before the end of Q2 2017.