REC Group kicks off mass production of its ground-breaking Alpha solar module in Tuas, Singapore

REC Group, an international pioneering solar energy company, is thrilled to announce the mass production start of the REC Alpha Series solar panel in Tuas, Singapore. The world’s highest power 60-cell module is now rolling off the line at a rate of 5,000 panels per week – this will be ramping to over 30,000 panels per week by early 2020. To produce the REC Alpha Series, REC has invested a total of US$ 150 million into the company’s state-of-the-art site and developed a new ‘Industry 4.0’ cell fab.

The project was completed in record time through close collaboration with Meyer Burger in Singapore, Germany and Switzerland and over 250 contractors on site, who worked round the clock to build new facilities and infrastructure as well as specialized production equipment. This step amounts to an additional 600 MW of heterojunction (HJT) cell and module capacity, bringing REC Group’s total module capacity in Singapore to 1.8 GW annually. With this expansion, the REC Tuas operation is one of the largest and most advanced solar PV manufacturing operations, exceeding the scale of anything in the U.S. or Europe.[1]

For Alpha, REC has brought on-board and trained more than 300 new employees in all functional areas. The mass production start comes just a couple of weeks before the start of the Asia Clean Energy Summit 2019 (ACES), a conference dedicated to collaborating on critical issues and opportunities in harnessing clean energy for the future.

REC’s CEO Steve O’Neil states: “Our dedicated goal is to empower consumers. And we know that only with big leaps, the global energy transition can thrive. Alpha is a crucial tool for homeowners to do exactly this and gain energy autonomy.” REC’s Chief Technology Officer Shankar G. Sridhara adds that “It is a bold move jumping to HJT, and it is also very bold to do 600 MW in one shot – but being bold and innovative is in REC’s DNA. And Singapore is the perfect location to do this.” With close to 10 GW of REC solar panels manufactured and installed worldwide to date, generating almost 13 TWh of clean energy and empowering more than 16 million people at their homes, REC Group is a credible advocate for the global energy transition.

The fully integrated and automated site, with its own 3.2 MW solar array on its roof, is operated by REC since 2010, allowing for reliable, efficient and cutting-edge manufacturing. The quality of engineers and workers is superior in Singapore, as such offering longstanding expertise when it comes to key competencies as semiconductor technology. Cherishing their people hence has been and always will be key to REC, which was named a “Top 100 Asia’s Best Employer Brand” in 2019.

But the advantages of the location span further: the Singaporean government is heavily supportive for solar energy, as are institutions like the Singapore Economic Development Board (EDB), the Solar Energy Research Institute of Singapore (SERIS) or the Energy Research Institute @ NTU, all of them closely collaborating with REC on ambitious projects in the PV industry. This mix of commitment and production excellence are the perfect conditions not only to produce the REC Alpha Series today but has facilitated significant solar innovations by REC already in the past. This includes half-cut cells and the awarded twin panel design, both significant technology milestones, which were innovated by REC and by today are the market standard.

REC panels are not only manufactured, but also designed and developed in Singapore. As such, Tuas is REC’s global operational headquarters and home to the brand’s global center for Research, Development and Engineering. Most recently, Alpha has been granted all 12 design applications by the Intellectual Property Office of Singapore, acknowledging REC’s dedication into functional aesthetics.

“We are delighted that REC has chosen to further invest in and deepen its manufacturing presence in Singapore. REC’s decision speaks to the value that Singapore brings to complex manufacturers. Advanced technological capabilities from Singapore’s established manufacturing and research base, as well as a skilled workforce will enable companies like REC to develop and manufacture increasingly complex products, while contributing towards energy sustainability. We look forward to a continued partnership with REC to develop expertise in leading edge solar cells, modules and systems,” said Mr Damian Chan, Assistant Managing Director, Singapore Economic Development Board.

The Alpha was initially launched at Intersolar Europe on May 15, 2019. From an initial production, 25,000 modules were already shipped all around the world, with first rooftop systems been installed in Italy, the Netherlands, U.S., New Zealand, Japan. For homeowners, Alpha is the perfect rooftop module to drastically reduce their electricity bill and lead the shift towards a cleaner future by going solar with the latest technology. Utilizing most advanced commercialized technology, the REC Alpha Series is the world’s most powerful 60-cell solar panel, delivering up to 380 watt-peak (Wp); this translates to a leading power density of 217 W/m², providing 20% more power than conventional panels in the same area.