The oil company Shell recently announced plans to build a solar cell factory in Gelsenkirchen, Germany in collaboration with Pilkington Solar International GmbH as part of its aim to reach 10% of the photo-voltaic market before 2005. The new plant will produce polycrystalline cells with a capacity of 25 megawatts per annum for the German, European and overseas markets. Investment will total around DM30m. The federal government and the state of North Rhine-Westphalia have offered financial support for the project. "The latest manufacturing techniques will help to lower considerably the costs of producing high quality solar cells," Deutsch Shell said in a statement. The planned plant will be similar in design to a solar cell factory in Helmond in the Netherlands.
