Solutions for Enegy
With growing concerns over global environmental problems worldwide, Korea is another country that has implemented measures to disseminate photovoltaic systems. In line with these measures, Seoul Marine Corporation has introduced SANYO's prized HIT solar cells for its solar power generation facilities dotting the south coast of the Korean Peninsula and supplying the generated electricity to power companies. Seoul Marine Corporation is a pioneering company in Korea in the field of solar power generation business and one of our most valued business partners. SANYO's high-performance photovoltaic systems realized with advanced technologies which enable world-leading conversion efficiency are making an outstanding contribution here in Korea as systems highly regarded for their excellent “Environmental Performance.”
The world's solar cell market has been rapidly expanding over recent years. A primary factor behind this substantial growth in demand has been the various subsidy systems introduced by Germany and other European countries, including the "Feed-in Tariff (FiT)" which is a legal structure that obliges power companies to buy electricity produced by solar power at fixed prices for a fixed period of time.
In Japan, in advance of the Hokkaido Toyako Summit, Japanese Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda announced "Fukuda Vision" outlining Japan's unique global warming countermeasures, which proposes goals to increase the current diffusion rate of solar power generation tenfold by 2020 and fortyfold by 2030. In the future, the "Fukuda Vision" is expected to help boost the Japanese solar cell market. Against this backdrop, SANYO will further display its real ability as a "leading Provider of Environment- and Energy-related products."
SANYO undertook development of solar cells in 1975. Ever since, we have constantly led the industry in terms of practical applications, such as starting mass production of amorphous silicon solar cells ahead of the rest of the world in 1980 and installing Japan's first interconnection power generation systems in real homes in 1992. At the same time, based on the fundamental technologies accumulated over the years, "HIT Solar Cell*1" capable of a world-leading conversion efficiency was successfully developed in 1990, and its mass production and distribution started in 1997. "HIT Solar Cell" is SANYO's proprietary solar cell, in which a thin amorphous silicon film is formed over a single-crystal substrate, capable of the world's highest power generation per installation area*2.
SANYO started business with Seoul Marine Corporation in 2004. As is indicated in its corporate name, Seoul Marine Corporation originated as a company distributing engines for small crafts like cruisers, but has entered the power generation business "aspiring to build large power plants using photovoltaic systems." It not only installs and operates solar power generation facilities for in-house use, it also sells photovoltaic systems to other companies and individual home residents. Seoul Marine Corporation has a number of workers with doctorates in engineering, enabling accurate evaluation of SANYO's superior technologies. Meeting their strong desire for "handling world-class photovoltaic systems," Seoul Marine Corporation selected and has been selling only "HIT Solar Cells" from the very beginning.
In conjunction with the revision of its new and renewal energy power generation support system in 2004, Korea implemented a "Feed-in Tariff" similar to that in Europe. For the purpose of promoting technology development, diffusion, and industrialization of new and renewal energies, this Korean FiT obliges power companies to buy electricity produced by solar power at a price 3 to 4 times higher than the customary electric power price for a period of 15 years. During fiscal 2008, introduction of 90 to 100 megawatt-scale photovoltaic systems is expected. Further, in Korea, an initial cost subsidy and tax credit are available for those who install a residential photovoltaic system.
With its first facility in January 2005 as the start, Seoul Marine Corporation has built many solar power generation facilities along the south coast of the Korean Peninsula, such as in Suncheon and Goheung. There are facilities of approximately 800, 3,400, and 3,900 solar cell modules which produce maximum electric power generation output of 150kW, 700kW, and 800kW respectively. Estimated total introduction scale will reach 24 megawatts this year, from which an annual CO2 reduction effect of approximately 8,500 tons can be calculated.
HIT solar cell's high conversion efficiency characteristic is very significant and highly valued in the Korean market.
For the solar cell business, securing raw materials is a vital issue. SANYO steadily procures silicon through contracts with material manufacturers. In the next 3 years, we will invest a total of approximate 70 billion yen in this business with the aim of realizing a 600-megawatt scale production capacity by fiscal 2010. During fiscal 2008, we will increase the solar cell production capacity of Shimane SANYO by 80 megawatts and build a module factory with 40-megawatt scale production capacity at the Shiga Plant. In the future, while pursuing cost reduction and efficiency improvement, we will exert maximum effort to communicate the superior characteristic of "HIT Solar Cell" capable of high electric power output in a limited installation area. With its original solar technologies, SANYO will strive to develop and expand the new environment business as part of being a "leading provider of Environment- and Energy-related products."
- *1 HIT stands for Heterojunction with Intrinsic Thin-layer. Heterojunction means juncture of amorphous silicon and crystalline silicon. Intrinsic means intrinsic semiconductor, also called i-type semiconductor. Thin-layer means thin film.
- *2 Realized with the world's highest-level cell conversion efficiency of 19.7%. (Data as of February 1, 2008 based on company survey for mass production model - HIP-200BKI)
- *3 Pro-forma effect calculated based on the following projection: estimated power output from a SANYO 4.2kW system installed in Osaka, Japan being 4,909kWh per year and CO2 reduction per 1kWh being 0.3145 kg-CO2.
