The company's expanded product portfolio supports its solar business to offer customers solar technologies for specific applications.

Sharp, a provider of solar cell production, announced that it will introduce next generation thin film solar cells in the U.S. soon. With its thin film solar product, the company will be capable of handling multi MW, large scale utility projects that are best served by a thin film solar solution, and the company is already working with prospective U.S. customers in preparation for these large scale deployments. Sharp can supply customers with a complete solar product portfolio, including mono crystalline, poly crystalline and multi junction thin film solar cells, to meet the specific needs of virtually any commercial or residential solar installation.

"For the last fifty years, Sharp has researched and developed advanced, innovative solar technologies, guaranteeing our customers superior performance and excellent reliability from Sharp solar products," said Ron Kenedi, vice president, Sharp Solar Energy Solutions Group. "As the U.S. solar market grows, deployments of multi MW utility projects and large scale commercial installations are on the rise. We are leading the way by expanding our technology portfolio so that we can meet the demands of these customers with an efficient, reliable and cost-effective solar solution of the calibre they've come to expect from Sharp products, whether it's traditional solar modules or thin film PV."

Sharp plans to increase thin film solar production with the construction of next generation solar manufacturing facilities. Sharp Corporation has just completed installation of a new second generation thin film solar cell production line at its Katsuragi Plant, Japan, using large size glass substrates and will begin volume production this October. The addition of this new line expands production capacity for thin film solar cells at the Katsuragi Plant to 160 MW annually.