The current cost of generating solar energy is higher than that of conventional oil-fired power generation. In order to achieve more widespread adoption of solar energy, it is necessary to continue efforts at reducing the cost of solar cells. Sharp has put a half century of effort into making solar energy more practical, and based on cumulative knowledge and experience, efforts will continue into the development of new technologies, designs and processes to further reduce costs. One example is the development of thin-film solar cells, which use 1/100th the amount of silicon. Sharp is intensifying its efforts in producing this type of solar cell.
The new Sakai Plant will be one of the world's most advanced eco-conscious factories, capable of producing enough thin-film solar cells each year to generate 1 GW of electricity. Following the lead of Sharp's Kameyama Plant, which incorporates green factory design principles and where attention is paid to the environment in the manufacture of superior products, the new Sakai Plant in Osaka is being designed as a "super green factory." Technology developed for the manufacture of liquid crystal displays will be employed to produce thin-film solar cells. The Sakai Plant will minimize the generation of greenhouse gases while producing solar cells designed to unleash the inexhaustible power of the sun to provide a more stable supply of electricity. The new factory can be considered a "next-generation oil field."
