FuturaSun has announced plans to build a 2 GW solar module factory in Cittadella, Veneto, Italy. It said it will initially invest €25 million ($26.4 million) in the new factory. It has already secured 24,000 square meters of land for the factory.
The company said the new facility will produce high-efficiency solar panels, without providing further technical details. It currently manufactures n-type interdigitated back-contacted (IBC) modules, as well as PERC panels and heterojunction (HJT) products.
“The project fits into the company’s strategic industrial plan, and it follows through on the European mission of rebuilding the European supply chain, with FuturaSun taking the role of one of the main players,” said FuturaSun CEO Alessandro Barin.
The company is based in Cittadella, in Italy’s Padua province, and operates two solar modules factories totaling 1 GW in China. Its Italian staff focus on R&D in areas such as interdigitated back-contact (IBC) cells, cylindrical ribbons, glass-glass solutions and modules with independent sections.
The new factory, when constructed, will become the second gigawatt-scale PV module manufacturing facility in Italy. A 3 GW facility is currently being constructed by the Italian utility Enel in Sicily, southern Italy. This facility is expected to begin commercial operations this year. The company is betting on n-type HTJ cells with an efficiency of 25.5%. It said this could result in module efficiencies above 24%
