The 3Sun Gigafactory Story: Towards the GigaFactory in record time

Episode 5 Sometimes a historic milestone is not only a major step for the company, but a giant leap for one person as well. On August 30, 2019, the 3Sun Gigafactory in Catania started mass producing bifacial solar panels with heterojunction technology (HJT), with yield values exceeding 20%. Creating this new production line, the first of its kind in Europe, was very significant for the factory and for the Enel Group in general; but it’s also important for me, personally: that’s when I was hired at 3Sun Gigafactory! In these few years, I’ve had the chance to work in different areas of production. I started out in quality control and testing the panels’ efficiency, then I monitored the chemical and physical processes, and now I run the machines that print the silver paste to create electrical circuits. My colleagues and I experienced a moment of great professional satisfaction at the beginning of 2020 when our HJT solar cells reached an efficiency level of 24.63%: it was an absolute world record, which was certified by ISFH (Germany’s Institute for Solar Energy Research, located in Hamelin). We achieved this record thanks to a combination of elements: a technology called busbarless, which enables cells to convert more light, and a new treatment that further enhances corrosion resistance, which was developed with INES (France’s National Solar Energy Institute). Furthermore, this process also reduces the amount of silver used in solar cell production, decreasing production costs as well. To make these panels, we further developed our techniques for recycling and reusing materials: in addition to silver, for which we’d already found innovative and efficient solutions when we were still manufacturing the old thin-film panels, we now also recover discarded glass, resins, and especially indium from the processing. We were the first in the world to do it: another mark of excellence for our factory. Our production line was the first of its kind worldwide for its technical features and its fully automated handling system. Thanks in part to these innovations, the factory has continued to ensure maximum productivity during the pandemic, while fully respecting individual safety protocols. It was during these difficult years for the world that we created a new project: the GigaFactory – another spectacular leap in quality that will increase our factory’s capacity by a factor of fifteen. We’ll jump from the current 200 MW per year to producing 3 GW per year. As a result, 3Sun Gigafactory will become the largest solar panel factory in the European Union. In terms of efficiency, the objective is ambitious but within our reach: achieving an efficiency level of 30%, three times the initial values from thin-film panels. The GigaFactory will consolidate 3Sun Gigafactory and Catania as a cutting-edge technological hub in the photovoltaic sector. It will also contribute in an increasingly significant way to the energy transition towards an energy production system with zero greenhouse gas emissions. From a local point of view, it will offer new prospects to the local communities, including in terms of employment. Around one thousand new jobs will be created directly, on top of a large number of indirect jobs along the supply chain and in satellite activities. Many people will be able to join us and share our enthusiasm, just like I did a few years ago.

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The 3Sun Gigafactory Story: Towards the GigaFactory in record time

The 3Sun Gigafactory Story: Towards the GigaFactory in record time

Emanuela Ruberto

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