Brazilian company S4 Solar do Brasil has invested BRL 30 million ($13.3 million) to set up an automated assembly line for the production of crystalline-silicon PV modules in the Brazilian state of Goiás.

The fab, located in the Agro-Industrial District of Annapolis, will employ production equipment from Swiss group Meyer Burger, China's Confirmware and Jinchen Machinery Co. The facility will manufacture conventional glass-backsheet panels as well as glass-glass panels suitable for building-integrated PV or other special applications.

"We already have 45 MW contracted from agricultural companies in Mato Grosso and Goiás," said S4 President João Eugenio Jr.

S4 focuses on sales to large energy consumers, although the company is not ignoring the open market for energy auctions, according to Eugenio. "We have worked hard in the dissemination of technology among these companies in

recent years."

The company also aims to produce solar cells in Brazil beginning in 2017. To achieve its goals, S4 has established a partnership with Chinese module manufacturer Linuo Solar, which will supply materials to S4 to be processed for the manufacture of solar modules at the Annapolis plant.

S4 will begin assembling S4 Solar modules at the factory in January. Although the plant will have an installed annual capacity of 100 MW, it will initially produce 2 MW a month, increasing the amount gradually to 7-8 MW monthly in the first year. The modules will then be submitted to agencies for national and

international certification.

Eugenio added that while the comapny would focus on the Brazilian market in the beginning, it planned to export modules in the future.

S4 and its products will make their industry debut at the upcoming Intersolar South America in São Paulo, which runs August 26-28