Hitachi America has signed an agreement with Prism Solar Technologies that allows PST to market Hitachi’s bifacial photovoltaic cells and manufacture modules for sale under the Hitachi brand name in the US to key clients and customer groups.
This agreement is an expansion into new markets for Hitachi’s solar products. Both companies have similar views of what needs to happen in technology and the marketplace to keep PV a growing business sector.While most of the PV module manufacturers use monofacial PV cells in their modules, Hitachi has developed a unique cell that can produce power from both the back and front sides of the PV cell. The amount of power produced from the back-side is dependant on the amount and method of getting sunlight onto the back of the solar cell or module. Until recently, options to accomplish this have been limited to using mirrors or reflectors.