Hanwha, 1366 Enter Into 5-Year Wafer Supply Agreement

Photovoltaic manufacturer Hanwha Q Cells Co. Ltd. and solar wafer manufacturer 1366 Technologies Inc. have entered into a supply agreement for 700 MW of wafers over a five-year period.

Using 1366’s proprietary Direct Wafer technology, the deal follows a year-long strategic partnership and collaborative R&D efforts to commercialize the company’s technology with Hanwha’s Q.Antum cell technology. 1366 will supply the wafers from its planned U.S. manufacturing facility in New York.

Direct Wafer technology makes wafers in a single step, pulling them directly from molten silicon instead of today’s multistep, energy- and capital-intensive approach, resulting in significant wafer production cost savings.

“This agreement aligns with our continuing efforts to bring about world leading technologies that enable solar energy to be more competitive and more affordable,” said Seong-woo Nam, CEO of Hanwha Q Cells.

The two companies reached a joint maximum efficiency of 19.1 percent using Direct Wafer products in the Q.Antum cell, as independently verified by the Fraunhofer ISE.