Philippine company to begin mass production of PV panels

The solar power subsidiary of the Philippines’ largest conglomerate prepares to foray into an already oversupplied photovoltaic panels sector.

Integrated Microelectronics, Inc. (IMI) will start mass producing solar panels this year at its renewable energy unit in California and at its plant in Jiaxing, a city in China’s northern Zhejiang province.

IMI president Arthur Tan said IMI will likely produce solar panels with a capacity of 10 megawatts in the first year of mass production, in line with its current capacity.

“The panels are slated to be consumed in Australia and China,” Tan said.

He noted that IMI was also looking at selling its PV panels to India. Tan said the company’s solar panel installations are estimated to triple to more than 60 gigawatts by 2016.

IMI is a subsidiary of Ayala Corporation and is located in Laguna province to the south of Metropolitan Manila. Ayala Corporation is a holding company for the diversified interests of the Ayala Group.

Ayala began building its renewable energy portfolio in 2011 with a joint venture with Mitsubishi for solar power and the purchase of the Bangui Bay wind farm in Ilocos Norte province, the Philippines’ first wind farm. Ayala plans to contribute 1000 megawatts to the Philippine grid by 2015.

PV technologies being developed by IMI include concentrated photovoltaics (CPV) with co-generation of water heater and electricity, glass-on-glass solar panel and glass-on backsheet.