TSMC Solar, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company's (TSMC) wholly-owned subsidiary maker of CIGS thin-film PV modules, will expand its annual production capacity from 40MWp currently to 120MWp in the fourth quarter of 2014, according to the company.
TSMC Solar originally planned to start volume production in the first quarter of 2012 and expand its annual capacity to 300-500MWp in 3-5 years, and further to 1GWp in 10 years. However, the execution of the plans has been delayed due to the global reshuffling of PV makers. TSMC Solar's capacity expansion is mainly because its capacity has been fully utilized and there is booming global demand for PV products, industry sources noted. In addition, TSMC Solar is believed to have made breakthroughs in CIGS technology.
TSMC Solar aims to hike energy conversion rates for its CIGS modules up to 17% in 2014, the company said.
