Booming interest worldwide in solar power as a source of green electricity could become the most significant source of growth for leading glass manufacturers, the former chief executive of Pilkington …
Booming interest worldwide in solar power as a source of green electricity could become the most significant source of growth for leading glass manufacturers, the former chief executive of Pilkington has said. Stuart Chambers, who led the UK-based glassmaker through its acquisition by Nippon Sheet Glass in June 2006, described the market for photovoltaic panels as “possibly the most exciting growth opportunity” for the industry. Asahi Glass, Japan“s largest manufacturer, recently said it planned to focus on glass for solar cells as its current growth driver; glass for flat-panel LCD television screens was already coming under heavy price pressure. In the past two months, the former Pilkington opened a facility in Germany to meet demand from solar manufacturers there and elsewhere in Europe and, said Mr. Chambers, its capacity is already sold-out. Now a director on the board of NSG with responsibility for the former Pilkington operations, Mr Chambers added that the Japanese company would, by the end of 2007, be producing glass for use as covers for crystalline silicon solar cells at a new USD 42 million facility in China. The plant will meet rising demand from solar panel makers in China and across other parts of Asia. Investment plans at NSG, which bought Pilkington in 2006, are limited by huge debt burdens that will likely take around three years to pay off. Although Mr Chambers said NSG would probably build one more solar glass plant over the next two years, significant investment would be held back by group debt. He admitted that the delay could create big opportunities for competitors. He said solar glass was an area where technology gave the combined NSG-Pilkington group a competitive advantage. Other areas of glass manufacturing have suffered from intense competition from cheaper Chinese manufacturers. Japanese manufacturers of crystalline solar cells and the more high-tech “thin-film”solar cells have significantly increased their investments in solar technology.