Honda first unveiled its thin film solar technology in 2002, claiming it had made solar energy even more environmentally friendly by developing a manufacturing process that used half as much energy as conventional photovoltaic solar cell production.
The company said it would establish a mass production plant at its Kumamoto Factory in Japan, where the prototype thin film solar cells have been in use at its outboard engine manufacturing facility (Hosoe Plant) since 2002.
Honda has since installed the thin film solar panels at 15 of its other facilities, including the international headquarters of the Honda Engineering business.
The company said that during the trials, it has been able to stabilise the performance of the thin film solar cells, producing photoelectric transfer efficiency comparable to traditional PV cells.
Once completed, the mass production facility will have an initial annual capacity of 27.5 megawatts, according to the company.
