FREYR Battery, Inc. (NYSE: FREY) recently announced a strategic pivot from producing battery cells to producing solar modules, having the ambition to become a vertically integrated company also producing solar cells in the U.S. It will achieve this by acquiring the U.S. assets of Chinese solar panel manufacturer Trina.
ROHM has completed the acquisition of the assets of Solar Frontier’s former Kunitomi Plant located in Japan, on November 7, 2023, based on its basic agreement signed with Solar Frontier. The Plant will be operated by LAPIS Semiconductor, a subsidiary of the ROHM Group, as its Miyazaki Plant No.2.
The acquisition of solar assets signifies a strategic shift towards renewable energy, enhancing long-term growth potential and sustainability for the company. The agreement to sell European assets for $50 million will provide liquidity and streamline operations, focusing on core markets.
EV OEMs and battery cell manufacturing companies will need manufacturing equipment to ramp up production fast and to ensure high factory production performance. Since the majority of announced new gigafactories have planned to start production prior to 2025, companies are making buying decisions about manufacturing equipment supply now.
The adoption of ion implant technology by China's solar manufacturers sends a message to the industry's PV efficiency leaders like SunPower that they can't rest on their laurels. This deal further solidifies Applied Materials position as an equipment supplier to both the semiconductor and solar industries.
In the battery cell manufacturing process, three steps require roughly equal shares of capital expenditures: 35 to 45 percent for electrode-manufacturing equipment, 25 to 35 percent for cell-assembly-and-handling equipment, and 30 to 35 percent for cell-finishing equipment (Exhibit 2).