Carbon Solar: French photovoltaic cells
Carbon Solar or CARBON is a French industrial company set up in 2022 to produce photovoltaic cells, their components (ingots and wafers) and their assemblies. Its ambition is to build a production plant by 2025, representing an investment of 1.5 billion euros.
Today, photovoltaic wafers and cells are almost exclusively produced in China, which exposes global photovoltaic production to geopolitical risks. CARBON proposes to produce them in France, as well as their assembly, by positioning itself on technologies of the future.
Carbon Solar (CARBON) technologies
CARBON will offer three types of product: it will produce photovoltaic cells and their components (ingots and wafers), and then assemble them into modules.
While P-type wafers dominate the market, N-type wafers will enable “a more rapid and dynamic evolution of cell technologies”. This is the type of wafers they have chosen.
The high-efficiency solar cell technology they have chosen is called TOPCon (Tunnel Oxide Passivated Contact). It offers “a better temperature coefficient, little or no degradation of performance due to LID and LeTID, and a better bifaciality coefficient” than its competitor, PERC, which is dominant today.
They are also developing cells using IBC (Interdigitated Back Contact) technology. Their advantages are “higher surface efficiency ( Wp/m²), better performance at low irradiance, greater resistance to hot spots and improved aesthetics.” (Carbon)
Financing and history of Carbon Solar
Carbon Solar or CARBON (the latter name is preferred) was founded in March 2022 in Roche-la-Molière (Loire)
In March 2023, they announced a gigafactory project in Fos-sur-mer that would be able to produce 5GW of photovoltaic cells and 3.5GW of modules. Construction is scheduled for completion by the end of 2025, and the project will represent an investment of 1.5 billion euros and directly create over 3,000 jobs. A further 4 billion euros are planned, with the aim of producing 20GW by 2030.
To find out more:
- Maxence Cordier’s reaction (energy engineer) https://twitter.com/maxcordiez/status/1631702430181203968
- The reaction of @Qraaal (electronics engineer ?) https://twitter.com/Qraaal/status/1632055392376111105