Spire Corporation (Nasdaq: SPIR) has introduced a new "starter production line" for thin film solar photovoltaic module development.

The development of thin film photovoltaic materials, both inorganic and organic, has accelerated in recent years, partly fueled by a worldwide shortage of polysilicon, a crucial ingredient for traditional, crystalline silicon solar cells.

Spire's new thin film module production line addresses the needs of this new, expanding market, according to the company. As a global leader in photovoltaic equipment development and sales, Spire has over 30 years of experience providing the production tools for building solar modules, and has been developing machines to address the specific needs of the new generation of thin film materials.

Spire’s thin film production line uses customer-supplied thin film plates. Spire equipment is used to laminate, frame, test, and add electrical junction box connections to the thin film modules.

The production line can be fitted with automation options to meet customer requirements. One component of this new thin film production line is Spire’s Single-Long Pulse Simulator, which is used to test photovoltaic modules.

Earlier this year, Spire introduced an enhanced feature option for Spire’s line of solar simulators that incorporates a stable, single long-pulse (SLP) of light during which the entire I-V measurement is performed. This feature is key to testing thin film modules accurately.

Spire Corporation is a worldwide leader in innovative solar energy manufacturing equipment. Spire is the world’s only equipment and technology supplier to manufacture all the equipment in-house for an entire module production line.