Nippon Sheet Glass is to expand production of solar glass
Nippon Sheet Glass will invest around JPY 40 billion (USD 365 million) to expand production of solar glass, as growing demand for renewable energy reaches Japan's material makers, whose technology is crucial for high-performance panels.
The funds, which mark the company's biggest capital spending since 2000, will go toward restarting an idle factory in Vietnam and building a new one in the US.
Plans call for raising capacity by about 30% for a special glass coated in a transparent conductive film that forms the topmost layer of thin-film solar panels. The glass can also be used for other purposes such as construction.
The Vietnam plant is scheduled to reopen as soon as mid-2019. It originally produced glass for liquid crystal displays but was shut down in 2016 as intense competition from rivals such as Asahi Glass and Corning undercut profitability.
Operations at the new US factory will start in the second half of fiscal 2020. A site has not been chosen yet but is expected to be near major customer First Solar's new plant in the state of Ohio.
Nippon Sheet Glass will repurpose its idle factory in Vietnam to make glass for solar panels.
Nippon Sheet Glass will sign a long-term supply agreement with First Solar, which holds about 5% of the global solar panel market and is rapidly raising output in the US and Asian countries like Malaysia. The completed panels are likely to be used for such projects as massive solar power plants in the US and Asia.
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