[Stockholm, Sweden and Bari, Italy] Swedish thin film solar panel producer Midsummer's new factory in Bari, Italy is nearing completion with a new screen printer, laminator and another DUO machine installed, which prompted a visit to the factory by Sweden's ambassador to Italy, Jan Björklund.
A screen printer was recently delivered and installed at Midsummer’s Italian factory in Bari. The machine prints a silver grid onto the solar cells to cumulate the electricity that the solar cells produce. The printer also measures all the solar cells before they are connected to each other in long strings in the automated module line.
Also, a 50-ton laminator with two lamination chambers on two floors has arrived at the factory in Bari, and has been installed. It is completely new and adapted to Midsummer's production process, which enables manifold increased productivity.
Among the first modules produced in the new laminator is a unique 1 kW module that reduces the need for cabling and facilitates installation on large flat roofs.
Another DUO machine has also been delivered to Midsummer Italia in addition to the five already there. In December, an additional four DUOs will be delivered to Bari for full production capacity. In total, 11 DUOs are planned for Midsummer Italia. the 11th is a research and development machine. At full operation, the factory can produce 50 MW of solar cells per year, making it the largest of its kind in Europe.
Midsummer engineers are now fine-tuning all equipment and machinery. There are also final tests carried out of the automated module line that connects the individual solar cells. These tests are done at the supplier of the module line ahead of expected delivery in December.
"Couples Swedish solar energy technology with Italian design and production"
Sweden's ambassador to Italy, Jan Björklund, visited Midsummer's Italian factory on Wednesday for an update on the establishment he and the Swedish embassy have been strongly involved in. He also got to see the very first solar panel that the factory produced.
Ambassador Björklund was given a tour of the factory with all the newly installed equipment and met Midsummer's CEO Sven Lindström, COO Eric Jaremalm, Midsummer's Chairman of the Board Robert Sjöström and the head of Midsummer Italia Jarno Montella.
“It is incredibly rewarding to be able to connect Swedish solar energy technology with Italian design and production,” said Ambassador Björklund. “I look forward to a successful operation for Midsummer Italia with world-class products that property owners and industrial companies across the continent should want to install on their roofs.”
“I am very impressed with Midsummer's work with establishing this new factory, and also with the Italian authorities' reception of it.”
Midsummer's CEO Sven Lindström comments:
“Everything is running smoothly now and I expect our most recently communicated schedule to hold: We plan to produce the first solar panels at the end of 2023 and a fully automated production start will take place in the first quarter of 2024, which means that we can start delivering solar panels to our Italian customers and also that Midsummer Italia has thus fulfilled the conditions for the payment of an investment grant from Invitalia of approximately SEK 100 million.”
Midsummer Italia has already signed letters of intent for two-thirds of the Italian factory's maximum production capacity with seven national players in construction and roofing. For the construction of the factory in Italy, Midsummer received a grant from the Italian state totaling approximately SEK 240 million, of which approximately SEK 75 million has already been paid out.
