Carbon
The 1st Gigafactory
The first gigafactory, which will be fully integrated, will include a silicon ingot foundry, wafer-cutting facilities, numerous clean rooms for cell production, as well as module assembly facilities and logistics warehouses on an approximately 60-hectare industrial site at the Grand Port Maritime de Marseille in Fos-sur-Mer.
At stake, the creation of over 3,000 directs jobs by 2027 and at least the same amount of indirect jobs.
Carbon
Value Chain
The vertical integration of the core of the value chain of the photovoltaic industry (ingots, bricks, wafers, cells and panels) is at the heart of CARBON’s industrial and commercial project. There is also the safeguarding of the polysilicon supply, which is a strategic input for several industries. The project has considered the challenge of circularity and the need for product recyclability from the very beginning.
CARBON intends to supply the global market of energy companies, solar power plant developers and installers, distributors and wholesalers of photovoltaic components and equipment, but also assemblers of panels and integrated modules (BIPV, VIPV) who buy cells directly, and cell manufacturers who buy silicon wafers directly.
0Silicon
1Ingot
2Brick
3Wafer
4Cell
5Module
Supply Chain
Secure supplies
Supply chain issues are the focus of the CARBON project. Raw materials and energy are key resources that account for 55% to 70% of the cost price of photovoltaic modules. Controlling supply costs and volumes is therefore essential. To achieve this, market negotiation is a decisive strategy.
Technology & Innovation
R&D&I
Research, development, and innovation are the cornerstones of the CARBON project. In order to constantly improve the technologies, particularly their efficiency and their environmental impact, our company intends to dedicate 3% of its turnover to R&D&I.
Technology & Innovation
N-Type
CARBON has chosen to focus on N-type wafers for the development of high efficiency cell technologies. N-type already enables a more rapid and dynamic evolution of cell technologies than P-type wafers, which still dominate the market.
Technology & Innovation
TOPCon
TOPCon (Tunnel Oxide Passivated Contact) is the fastest-developing high-performance solar cell technology. It is expected to become the norm in the years to come. Major solar manufacturers are switching from PERC cells (the current standard) to TOPCon technology because it does not require a drastic transformation of industrial processes, but it offers a better temperature coefficient, little or no performance degradation due to LID and LeTID, and a better bifaciality coefficient.
Technology & Innovation
IBC
From the start of production, CARBON will also offer cells using IBC (Interdigitated Back Contact) technology. They allow a higher surface efficiency (+Wp/m²), a better performance at low irradiance, higher resistance to hot spots along with an enhanced design. They are particularly well suited for integration into vehicles (VIPV) and into buildings (BIPV).
