Midsummer receives $7m order from Sunflare for new solar panel factory in China

Midsummer AB of Järfälla, near Stockholm, Sweden – a provider of turnkey production lines as well as flexible, lightweight copper indium gallium diselenide (CIGS) thin-film solar panels for building-integrated photovoltaics (BIPV) – has received an order from solar panel maker Sunflare of La Verne, CA, USA worth over US$7m for thin-film solar cell production equipment, to be delivered in 2019 to a new solar panel factory in China.

“The type of flexible thin-film solar cells that Midsummer develops production equipment for is coming into increasing demand worldwide, not least because of its low weight and flexibility, which fits well in urban environments,” says Midsummer’s CEO Sven Lindström. “They are also produced in an environmentally friendly manner with simplicity of installation. As an example of how strong the global trends are: the recent decision in California that all new homes built in the state must have solar power installed from 1 January 2020, that’s already in a year. There are over 70,000 houses built in that state alone each year. Other states are expected to follow, as well as other countries.”

“The demand for our products in the US has exceeded our expectations, and we rapidly need to expand our production capacity with the help of our established partner Midsummer,” says Sunflare’s CEO Philip Gao. “Our new products, including our modern design-driven solar roof shingle, have attracted a lot of attention in the industry,” he claims. “We are keen on delivering innovative solar in applications that have been largely unserved. The market is facing strong growth.”

Sunflare provides mass-produced flexible CIGS thin-film solar cells that are especially suitable for weak roofs and new roofs for private homes as well as for factories and offices. Manufacturing takes place in China and the company focuses primarily on the Californian market and in the long term also on the rest of the USA and Asia.

“The future is very bright for solar energy, even without subsidies,” says Lindström. “We have hired 40 new employees this year and expanded our factory in Järfälla with 1200m2 to meet the demand for our products.”

Tags: CIGS Thin-film PV

Visit: www.midsummer.se

Visit: www.sunflaresolar.com