The deal includes Walsin Lihwa’s acquisition of Solarion’s Copper-Indium-Gallium-Diselenide (CIGS) technology patent licensing, which allow the Taiwanese firm to independently manufacture and sell CIGS solar products.
The investment was carried out through Walsin Lihwa’s wholly owned subsidiary, Ally Energy Ltd., the company said.
Thanks to the involvement of the Development Bank of Saxony and subsidies from the city of Leipzig, the total value of the transaction is estimated to be closer to €60 million ($84.6 million).
Solarion, founded in 2000, established the first pilot production line of flexible and highly efficient CIGS thin-film solar cells in Europe in 2002.
The two companies will now work together to develop next-generation solar energy technologies.
The first step in that process will be the construction of a new solar cell plant in Leipzig with an initial annual capacity of 20 MW. In a written statement the companies said they ultimately expect the factory’s capacity to climb to 200 MW, although no timeline for the anticipated capacity growth was given.
Construction of the new plant is expected to be completed in 2001, with commercial production scheduled to begin in 2012.
For additional information:
____________________________________________________________________________________________________
