May 29 2008
Masdar Invests $2 Billion in Thin-Film Solar
Earlier this month we profiled Masdar, Abu Dhabi's initiative to create a renewable energy city.
Today, the company announced Masdar PV, a $2 billion investment in thin-film solar production capacity. The investment lays the groundwork for Abu Dhabi to go beyond being a consumer of clean energy, but also an exporter.
The company will begin by opening a thin-film factory in Germany in 2009, followed by a factory in Abu Dhabi a year later. The goal is to reach 210 megawatts of production capacity in a couple of years.
The announcement comes on the heels of Q-Cells' selection of Mexico for its latest manufacturing center. Interestingly, Q-Cells' original manufacturing facility is based in Germany.
Q-Cells' new manufacturing center, based in Mexicali, will be hosted in a 10,000 acre science and technology industrial park. Proximity to the U.S. market appears to be a major driver of the move. Production in Mexico will no doubt create additional competition for U.S. thin-film producers like First Solar, Nanosolar, and OptiSolar.
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