Name of the Project
3SUN 2.0 innovation project.

Location
Catania, Italy.

Client
Enel Green Power.

Project Description
The project will make the Catania industrial facility the first worldwide to exclusively manufacture heterojunction (HJT) bifacial photovoltaic panels, which are based on HJT technology. 

This technology features the junction of two different kinds of silicon, amorphous and crystalline, allowing for particularly high yields.

The 3SUN 2.0 project comprises three stages.

Stage 1 involves the installation of a new assembly line of crystalline cells to manufacture bifacial panels. 

The assembly line will have a maximum production capacity of 80 MW/y.

Stage 2 involves installing a new production line for HJT cells, with a maximum production capacity of 110 MW/y.

Stage 3 will double HJT production capacity to 200 MW/y and may eventually reach 250 MW/y with future optimisations.

When the technological conversion is complete, the factory’s output will reach an estimated 1 400 panels a day for a total of about 500 000 panels a year.

The factory will operate in a continuous cycle, 24/7 and 365 d/y.

Potential Job Creation
Not stated.

Value
A total investment of €100-million is planned. More than €80-million will be invested in the factory and will be complemented by the €2-million investment in the Enel Innovation Lab, in Catania, whose laboratories are experimenting innovative renewable-energy technologies.

Duration
Stage 1 will start in the second quarter of 2018.

Stage 2 will start operating from the first quarter of 2019.

Stage 3 is expected to start in the third quarter of 2019.

Latest Developments
None stated.

Key Contracts and Suppliers
None stated.

On Budget and on Time?
Not stated.

Contact Details for Project Information
Enel, tel +39 06 8305 5699, fax +39 06 8305 3771 or email ufficiostampa@enel.com.