Sharp Solar

{{Short description|Manufacturer of photovoltaic cells and films}}

{{Infobox company

| name = Sharp Solar

| logo = File:Sharp logo.svg

| type =

| genre =

| foundation = 1959

| founder = Tokuji Hayakawa

| location_city = Osaka

| location_country = Japan

| location =

| locations =

| area_served =

| key_people = Katsuhiko Machida (Representative Director, Chairman, CEO)
Mikio Katayama (Representative Director, President, COO)

| industry = Solar Electricity

| products = Solar modules (residential, commercial, utility)

| services =

| revenue =

| operating_income =

| net_income =

| assets =

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| owner = Sharp Corporation

| num_employees = 59,100 (as of 10/2009)

| parent = Sharp Electronics

| divisions =

| homepage = {{URL|global.sharp/solar}}

| footnotes =

| intl =

}}

Sharp Solar, a subsidiary of Sharp Electronics, is a solar energy products company owned by Sharp Corporation and based in Osaka, Japan.

Products

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{{cite web | url=https://www.solarpowerportal.co.uk/news/sharp_shuts_down_wrexham_solar_manufacturing_facility_2356 | title=Sharp shuts down Wrexham solar manufacturing facility | date=16 December 2013 }} and Memphis, Tennessee{{cite news | url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-sharp-solar-idUSBREA0M05I20140123 | title=Sharp says to end solar panel production in U.S. By end-March | newspaper=Reuters | date=23 January 2014 }} in 2014.

History

Sharp began researching solar cells in 1959 with mass production first beginning in 1963. Production capacity amounted to 324 MW in 2004.{{Cite web |url=http://www.sharpusa.com/SolarElectricity/SolarProducts/LiteratureDownloads.aspx |title=Sharp Solar Modules |access-date=2020-04-28 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161116101126/http://www.sharpusa.com/SolarElectricity/SolarProducts/LiteratureDownloads.aspx |archive-date=2016-11-16 |url-status=live }}{{Cite web |url=http://www.sharpinbusiness.co.uk/promotions.asp?id=20 |title=Sharp Solar celebrates five years as world number one |access-date=2007-06-01 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070626052048/http://www.sharpinbusiness.co.uk/promotions.asp?id=20 |archive-date=2007-06-26 |url-status=live }} In 2010, they were the #1 producer of PV cells, in terms of revenues.[http://www.solarbuzz.com/our-research/recent-findings/solarbuzz-raises-global-photovoltaic-2010-market-forecast-152-gw "Solarbuzz Raises Global Photovoltaic 2010 Market Forecast to 15.2 GW"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120312042025/http://www.solarbuzz.com/our-research/recent-findings/solarbuzz-raises-global-photovoltaic-2010-market-forecast-152-gw |date=2012-03-12 }}, SolarBuzz, 29 June 2010