Linde Signs 3 Thin Film Contracts, Captures over 50% of Market in China

The Linde Group's local subsidiary, Linde LienHwa, has signed contracts with Tianwei Baoding, Hangzhou Amplesun Solar and ENN Solar in China. These three new multi-million US dollar contracts are believed by the company to enable it to capture more than 50% of the thin film photovoltaic (PV) market in China.

As part of these long-term contracts, The Linde Group will be providing ongoing delivery of bulk and specialty gases essential to making thin film solar cells-- including large volumes of silane and hydrogen gas, used to deposit silicon light absorbing layers on large-area sheets of glass used in solar panels.

The first phase of the ENN Solar plant in Langfang will start commercial production by Q2 of 2009, with a capacity of 60MW, and possible future expansion up to 0.5GW.

Baoding Tianwei Solarfilms is working with Linde to future-proof its gas installation and supply chain. Tianwei's new thin film solar production facility in Baoding, worth over Rmb1.2 billion (about US$180 million), will go online in the first quarter of 2009.

Hangzhou Amplesun Solar Technology Co Ltd is a privately invested high-tech company devoted to next-generation "green" power with a current investment of Rmb2.2 billion (about US$320 million). Jin Qing Guo, CEO of Amplesun Solar said: "Linde has been facilitating our needs on specialty gases as well as on-site services, which will greatly speed up our capacity scale-up in the production of thin film solar modules."