Sharp Solar, a subsidiary of Sharp Electronics, is a solar energy products company owned by Sharp Corporation and based in Osaka, Japan.
The company produces thin film modules and mono and poly-crystalline silicon solar cells.
Sharp's photovoltaic (PV) modules are used for many applications, from satellites to lighthouses, and industrial applications to residential use.
Sharp Solar manufactures PV modules in multiple locations, though it shut down solar panel production at its factories in Wrexham, Wales and Memphis, Tennessee in 2014.
Sharp began researching solar cells in 1959 with mass production first beginning in 1963. Production capacity amounted to 324 MW in 2004. In 2010, they were the #1 producer of PV cells, in terms of revenues.
1959: Started development of solar cells<br /> 1963: Began mass production of solar cells<br /> 1963: First to supply ocean buoy with solar power cells<br /> 1966: Installed solar on lighthouse<br /> 1967: Began development of solar space applications<br /> 1976: "Ume" satellite successfully launched with solar cells on board<br /> 1980: Released first solar calculator<br /> 1981: Began operations at Shinjo Plant (now Katsuragi)<br /> 1988: Reached 11.5% cell conversion for amorphous silicon solar cells<br /> 1992: Reached 17.1% cell conversion for polycrystalline solar cells<br /> 1992: Achieved world's highest cell conversion efficiency of 22%<br /> 1994: Commercialization of residential solar power system (grid-connected)<br /> 2000: Became global leader in solar cell manufacturing<br /> 2001: Obtained UL (U.S.) and TUV (EU) certification for PV modules<br /> 2002: Developed the industry's first string power conditioner<br /> 2003: Space PV module installed on Satellite Observatory "Free Flyer" (SFU)<br /> 2003: Began producing PV modules in the United States<br /> 2003: Began producing PV modules in Europe<br /> 2005: Developed solar cells that admit light and can be used as building materials for windows<br /> 2005: Began mass-producing thin film solar cells<br /> 2006: Katsuragi plant expands its annual production capacity to 600 megawatts, the world's highest at that time<br /> 2007: Expanded production capacity of PV modules to 200 megawatts in Europe<br /> 2008: Became first PV manufacturer in the world to achieve cumulative production of 2 GW<br /> 2008: Achieved industry's highest conversion efficiency for a polycrystalline PV module of 14.4%<br /> 2009: Launched thin film modules globally<br /> 2010: Launched world's highest efficiency Solar PV panel with greater than 32.5% efficiency<br /> 2010: Investment made into 2.8 GW annual production capacity<br />