France: Plans to build 5GW PV module factory

    French start-up Carbon recently announced that it plans to raise a round of financing by the end of this year to build a 5GW Solar Power Suppliers solar panel factory in France. The new plant is expected to be commissioned in 2025, with an annual capacity of 15GW by 2030.

    It is reported that the project will require a total investment of 1 billion euros. To this end, Carbon and its partners are currently looking for investors to finance the project and hope to put a pilot plant with an annual capacity of 1.5GW into operation in 2024.

    Pascal Rid, former founder of SMA France and co-founder of Carbon, said that the components will be based on TOPCon and IBC technology, and the production line will be designed to be scalable, allowing for the integration of different technologies without further investment, which will serve the construction and automotive markets. Provides highly efficient Building Integrated Photovoltaic (BIPV) modules.

    In terms of cost, Rid said, everything has been calculated, so we are a high-quality product, but still price-competitive with our Asian competitors.

    Carbon has said that European solar PV capacity is expected to double by 2025 and quadruple by 2030, so demand for PV panels will continue to increase significantly. However, the European PV industry sector remains fragile and undersized in the face of competition from falling prices in Asia, so we urgently need to take action to change the scale.

    It is reported that Carbon has received support from the International Solar Research Center (ISC) in Konstanz, Germany, a recognized research and development institution for TOPCon and IBC technologies in Europe, as well as from the Becquerel Institute in Belgium. Cooperation on competitiveness and market access.