Sharp's photovoltaic (PV) modules are used for many applications, from satellites to lighthouses, and industrial applications to residential use.
Sharp Solar manufactures PV modules in multiple locations, though it shut down solar panel production at its factories in Wrexham, Wales[1] and Memphis, Tennessee[2] in 2014.
History
Sharp began researching solar cells in 1959 with mass production first beginning in 1963. Production capacity amounted to 324MW in 2004.[3][4] In 2010, they were the #1 producer of PV cells, in terms of revenues.[5]
Timeline
1959: Started development of solar cells 1963: Began mass production of solar cells 1963: First to supply ocean buoy with solar power cells 1966: Installed solar on lighthouse 1967: Began development of solar space applications 1976: "Ume" satellite successfully launched with solar cells on board 1980: Released first solar calculator 1981: Began operations at Shinjo Plant (now Katsuragi) 1988: Reached 11.5% cell conversion for amorphous silicon solar cells 1992: Reached 17.1% cell conversion for polycrystalline solar cells 1992: Achieved world's highest cell conversion efficiency of 22% 1994: Commercialization of residential solar power system (grid-connected) 2000: Became global leader in solar cell manufacturing 2001: Obtained UL (U.S.) and TUV (EU) certification for PV modules 2002: Developed the industry's first string power conditioner 2003: Space PV module installed on Satellite Observatory "Free Flyer" (SFU) 2003: Began producing PV modules in the United States 2003: Began producing PV modules in Europe 2005: Developed solar cells that admit light and can be used as building materials for windows 2005: Began mass-producing thin film solar cells 2006: Katsuragi plant expands its annual production capacity to 600 megawatts, the world's highest at that time 2007: Expanded production capacity of PV modules to 200 megawatts in Europe 2008: Became first PV manufacturer in the world to achieve cumulative production of 2GW 2008: Achieved industry's highest conversion efficiency for a polycrystalline PV module of 14.4% 2009: Launched thin film modules globally 2010: Launched world's highest efficiency Solar PV panel with greater than 32.5% efficiency 2010: Investment made into 2.8GW annual production capacity
