Masdar PV, the solar venture funded by the United Arab Emirates, will soon supply 1.5 MW of thin film panels to villages around India.
The solar modules from Masdar PV will be used in new buildings of the Indian construction project developer MAG, who constructs villages under the aspect of sustainability. Ten of the projects will be implemented over the coming twelve months.
In addition to the solar, a biogas generator – which uses the fermented organic waste from the housing settlement as fuel – may be available to homeowners.
Masdar PV is one of the largest customers of Applied Materials, the (now former) amorphous silicon thin film equipment supplier. Masdar has reportedly struggled to compete because of the high cost of producing a-Si panels compared with conventional crystalline-silicon PV.
The company has 65 MW of manufacturing capacity currently. It plans to add another 20 MW of capacity by 2011. However, it’s unclear how Applied Material’s exit from the space will impact Masdar PV’s growth plans.
