Moser Baer's photovoltaic cell prodn unit trial

Mumbai, Mar 2: Moser Baer India Ltd has successfully completed final line integration and trials on its initial 40 MW crystalline photovoltaic cell production facility.

Announcing this to BSE, the Company said it remains on target to achieve 80MW of capacity in the second half of 2007. Moser Baer Photo Voltaic Ltd CEO Mr Ravi Khanna said ''We are delighted to commence trial run on the state-of-the-art and first of its kind fully integrated in-line cell manufacturing facility.'' It provides inherent flexibility to use 5 and 6 inch wafers in both mono and multi-crystalline formats, he said adding: ''We will rapidly increase deployment of thinner wafers and set industry benchmarks in production efficiencies in line with our strategy to emerge as one of the most efficient manufacturers in the photovoltaic space.'' MBPV plans to clearly straddle multiple future technologies and emerge as an engineering and technology-driven Company. The Company is decisively responding to the rapidly expanding solar PV market, where worldwide demand far outstrips supply.

The global photovoltaic market is on a high growth curve - sales expected to grow over 6 times to USD 40 billion by 2010. This demand is also highly price elastic. A lowering of PV electricity costs to conventional levels could exponentially expand this market as PV starts to penetrate into base load demand of electricity.

UNI