Lithuania-headquartered solar company SoliTek was founded in 2009. It launched the SoliTek brand in 2014, at which point it began to produce its first glass-glass solar modules. Today, the company manufactures solar modules at its Vilnius factory using 100% renewable energy, offering customers European-made solar solutions. According to figures on its website, 80% of its panels are exported to European markets including Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Sweden and Switzerland.
SoliTek began commissioning an upgraded solar manufacturing line during the past winter, funded through its own investment. In an exclusive update to pv magazine, it announced the 200 MW production line is now fully operational and producing at full scale.
A spokesperson for the company explained that the primary driver behind the upgrade was the transition from semi-automated to fully-automated processes in critical assembly stages.
“By integrating a fully automated framing station and autobussing equipment, SoliTek has significantly reduced manual intervention, ensuring consistent cycle times and eliminating human-related variability,” the spokesperson said. “The automated system utilizes high-accuracy machine vision and uniform thermal bonding, which enhances the long-term durability of the modules. This shift allows for tighter process control and repeatability across all production batches.”
As part of the upgrade, SoliTek has transitioned from using outsourced pre-cut cells to an integrated, high-precision in-house laser cutting unit. The company says the change allows for total quality control over the cutting process and minimizes the risk of microcracks that can occur during the transport of pre-cut cells from external suppliers.
SoliTek’s new production line is also specifically optimized for the industry-standard G12R cell format. “The rectangular format of these cells enables improved packing density within the module, increasing the total active area and resulting in higher power output compared to traditional square wafers,” the company explained.
Beyond technological improvements, SoliTek says the full-scale operation of the new line optimizes the cost per Watt by increasing the speed of the assembly cycle and decreasing manual labor requirements. “The high precision of the new equipment also contributes to SoliTek's sustainability goals by lowering material waste through reduced breakage and optimized cutting processes,” the company also told pv magazine.
Following the upgrade of its production line, SoliTek has introduced a new module series designed to meet applications ranging from agrivoltaics to rooftop installations.
The new portfolio features four distinct production lines. It includes SoliTek’s 300 W Agro solar modules, with efficiencies between 14.87% to 15.01%, that are designed for agrivoltaics and capable of withstanding hail of up to 50 mm. Meanwhile, SoliTek’s 445 W solar module series, with efficiencies of 22.56% to 22.77%, and anti-glare 445 W Satin solar modules, with efficiencies of 22.06% to 22.27%, are designed primarily for residential markets.
Each of these product lines are available in frameless, framed and Solrif configurations, the latter of which integrates the solar panel directly into a rooftop structure via a collaboration with Swiss mounting solutions company Schweizer.
SoliTek's new series is rounded out by the 510 W Magnus solar module, an up to 22.93%-efficient, transparent, framed glass/glass module capable of withstanding hail of up to 40 mm, which is designed for C&I applications.
A spokesperson explained that the Made in Europe-modules are currently being manufactured and available to SoliTek's partners across all markets. “As part of this portfolio, SoliTek has also introduced heat-strengthened glass technology,” they told pv magazine. “This material provides lower internal stress levels and is highly valued in several European markets, including Germany, for reducing the risk of falling particles.” All of SoliTek’s product range also comes with a 30-year warranty, as listed on its website.
Previous articles in pv magazine‘s new series on solar manufacturing facilities around the world covered United Solar's polysilicon factory in Oman, Belga Solar's module production facility in Belgium, and Midsummer’s CIGS factory in Italy.
This content is protected by copyright and may not be reused. If you want to cooperate with us and would like to reuse some of our content, please contact: editors@pv-magazine.com.
By submitting this form you agree to pv magazine using your data for the purposes of publishing your comment.
Your personal data will only be disclosed or otherwise transmitted to third parties for the purposes of spam filtering or if this is necessary for technical maintenance of the website. Any other transfer to third parties will not take place unless this is justified on the basis of applicable data protection regulations or if pv magazine is legally obliged to do so.
You may revoke this consent at any time with effect for the future, in which case your personal data will be deleted immediately. Otherwise, your data will be deleted if pv magazine has processed your request or the purpose of data storage is fulfilled.
Further information on data privacy can be found in our Data Protection Policy.