Total Energie approves construction of module factory in Toulouse

In early June, France-based solar systems integrator Total Energie S.A. approved construction of a €6 million ($7.3 million) PV module factory in Toulouse. The wholly-owned subsidiary will be called Tenesol Technologies.   

Originally planned as a 5 to 10 MW capacity facility when first announced in late 2002 (see PI 11/2002, p. 10), the factory now is aiming at a capacity of 15 MW by the end of 2005. 

Antoine Monville, who is leading the project and will become Tenesol's general manager by the time production is slated to start in the 2nd quarter of 2005, says the company hopes to manufacturer 8 MW in 2005, reaching full production capacity in 2006. The building, which has yet to be constructed, should be big enough to install equipment that could double the capacity to 30 MW. Any additional capacity would require expansion of the factory.

Monville says Tenesol is considering assembling modules with power sizes up to 200 W, perhaps even larger. The product, mostly using cells from Germany's Q-Cells AG and some from ErSol Solar Energy AG, will probably have the Total Energie brand, says Monville, and will be distributed for grid-connected systems mainly in Germany and Spain. Total Energie, of which 35 percent is owned by Total S.A., 45 percent by Electricité de France (EDF), and the rest by private investors, also owns Tenesa (PTY) Ltd., a South African module manufacturer which increased capacity to 25 MW in July on its way to 30 MW by the end of the year, mostly for the off-grid market.

William P. Hirshman
© PHOTON International, July 2004