Enel shows progress on Europe’s largest solar panel factory
Italian energy firm Enel is showing the progress of its 3Sun solar panel manufacturing plant in Catania, Sicily.
Enel says the €600m expansion of the plant will create Europe’s largest solar panel factory when it opens in 2024, with an annual production capacity of 3 GW. This compares to 1.2GW planned for Meyer Burger’s plants in Germany this year and 300MW at SolarWatt in Dresden. Both German suppliers are also expanding their production lines to meet demand across Europe.
The gigafactory expansion in Catania will increase the factory’s current annual production capacity of 200 MW to about 3 GW per year by initially developing photovoltaic modules using silicon heterojunction technology (HJT).
The plant will then move to producing tandem panels that combine silicon HJT cells with perovskite cells on top for higher overall conversion efficiency. Meyer Burger is also planning to move to commercial tandem panels.
Enel is reported to be in talks to sell a stake in the plant.
The expansion began in April 2022 and is expected to be completed by 2024. It will consist of two stages: an operational capacity of 400 MW will be available from September 2023, while full operational capacity will be reached by July 2024. Tandem photovoltaic modules, on the other hand, will be produced starting from late 2025.
The iTaliAN Giga factory (TANGO) project is one of seven initiatives selected by the EU Commission as part of the first Innovation Fund call for large-scale projects, and was awarded funding worth up to 118 million euros.
Enel Chairman Michele Crisostomo, Enel CEO Francesco Starace, the Italian Minister of the Environment and Energy Security Gilberto Pichetto Fratin, the Director-General for Energy of the European Commission Ditte Juul Jørgensen, the President of the Region of Sicily Renato Schifani, and the Catania Municipality’s Special Commissioner – Prefect Piero Mattei visited the construction site this week.
“Renewable energy growth estimates for the next few years make a clear case for investing in the creation of a domestic production chain, which represents a strategic move for Italy and Europe, in order to balance demands for energy security and independence with the demands of the economy, of the employment market and of the environment,” said Francesco Starace, CEO and General Manager at Enel.
“With 3Sun, we are practically demonstrating that in Italy, and therefore also in Europe, thanks to an innovative technology, we can now produce state-of-the-art photovoltaic panels that are competitive in international markets. Initiatives like this are what the future of energy will be built upon.”
This state-of-the-art research is the key technological driver for a country that has decided to become Europe’s energy hub,” said Gilberto Pichetto Fratin, Minister of the Environment and Energy Security.
“This investment has strong political significance, which is that of liberating our country from foreign dependency, especially from China, also when it comes to producing renewable energy systems,” he added.
“Such independence is achieved through quality and innovation, through the ability to produce better, higher performing and more durable elements that are more easily disposed of and recycled. Production at the Gigafactory is also in line with the Government’s commitment to increasingly and decisively install renewable energy plants, up to at least 8 to 10 GW per year.”
Ditte Juul Jørgensen, Director-General for Energy of the European Commission, said: “Europe’s clean energy transition materializes through projects like this one. It will allow to tap into the immense potential for renewable energy sources deployment the area of Catania harbors, turning Sicily into a European leader in solar power production with high added technological value, and opening an international corridor for clean energy that not only Italy, but the entire European Union can benefit from. It is a major opportunity to strengthen skilled workforce, spur investment in the grid and increase Europe’s energy independence in line with the REPowerEU plan.”
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