From pv magazine France
Carbon is revising plans for its proposed solar module gigafactory in France. While the company had until now been expected to develop TOPCon technology in-house, it indicated to pv magazine France that it is now working with Chinese giant Longi on BC technology.
“It is inconceivable to launch a gigafactory within just a few years without relying on players that have already designed and operated this type of industrial facility,” said Carbon CEO Nicolas Chandellier. “No project can realistically achieve competitive costs and a high level of quality in less than four years without that support.”
Longi Green Energy Technology would help develop Carbon One, a pilot PV module assembly plant to test industrial processes, supply chains, and ramp-up scenarios for the planned gigafactory. The pilot will be on a 16,000 sqm site in Miramas in southern France’s Bouches-du-Rhône department, after Carbon failed to acquire an old Photowatt facility in Bourgoin-Jallieu. Carbon said it expects the site to create more than 300 direct jobs.
The pilot facility will have annual assembly capacity of 700 MW, up from 500 MW initially planned, producing modules based on Longi’s BC cell technology.
“The objective is to enter the market with the photovoltaic cell of tomorrow and secure a competitive advantage,” Chandellier said. He added that back-contact designs are expected to form the next major technological wave in the sector.
At the EnerGaïa Forum trade fair, nine developers and independent power producers – Apex Energies, Arkolia, EDL, See You Sun, Smart Energies, Solstyce, Technique Solaire, Tenergie, and Terre et Lac – signed commercial agreements totaling 180 MW for 2027 and 314 MW for 2028.
“All or part of our module supply for projects awarded under simplified tenders in the 100 kW to 500 kW range will come from Carbon modules assembled in France, provided that European assembly becomes an eligibility criterion for these tenders from 2026 onward,” the signatories said in a joint statement. “The ball is in the government’s court.”
Chandellier said regulatory clarity is central to the project’s viability.
“As long as a ‘Made in Europe’ preference is not clearly enshrined in the rules governing market access and public funding, no photovoltaic industrial project can be fully viable in Europe.” He added that explicit recognition of European assembly would allow higher production costs to be reflected in project economics without distorting competition.
Industry participants are monitoring the forthcoming Industrial Acceleration Act, expected by the end of January 2026, which could strengthen “Made in EU” requirements for emerging industries, including solar manufacturing. Last week, Trinasolar signed a cooperation agreement with Holosolis, which is also planning a gigawatt-scale module factory in France.
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