Our commitment to quality starts long before materials enter the factory. The selection and qualification of our suppliers are governed by a framework that establishes transparent procedures and criteria throughout the entire process. This approach enables us to select and qualify suppliers, inspect incoming materials, and monitor performance across the entire supply chain, ensuring the raw materials used in production consistently meet the required standards. Quality drives every stage of the production process, from individual cell inspections and photovoltaic module assembly to final product testing. To ensure full transparency, we collect, record, and archive production process data. This continuous monitoring allows us to reconstruct the history of each component and keep a record of all relevant information over time, ensuring traceability throughout the entire manufacturing process.
3SUN Gigafactory
Catania's "Sun Factory," where high-efficiency solar cells and modules are made, is Europe's largest center for the production of next-generation photovoltaic modules.
Our Business
3SUN is an example of Italian industrial and technological excellence specializing in the production of high-performance photovoltaic cells and modules. It is based in Catania, Sicily, and is now the only Gigafactory in Europe dedicated to photovoltaics. It uses proprietary technologies and advanced automation of production processes in order to make solar cells and modules designed to meet the needs of the European market with a focus on efficiency, durability and sustainability.
Numbers
Three numbers tell the story of 3SUN's mission
3GW
annual production capacity target of about 15,000 PV modules per day.
€1 billion
total investment (Capex, Opex + €190 million from the European Innovation Fund and the national 'Development Contract' scheme).
600 employees
with a view to reaching a total of 1,000 direct and 1,000 related jobs.
The history: origins and evolution
3SUN was founded in 2010 as a joint venture involving Enel, Sharp and STMicroelectronics, with the aim of bringing advanced industrial production in the photovoltaic sector to life in Italy. The factory began its activities by manufacturing thin-film modules with multi-junction technology. In 2015, it was completely acquired by the Enel Group, and at the same time an important transformation phase began.
In 2018, the first bifacial heterojunction (HJT) module, which could capture light from both the front and the back, was produced, while in 2019 the first fully automated line in Europe for mass production was inaugurated. In 2020, the Catania factory achieved record results in terms of efficiency and bifaciality, consolidating its leading role in innovation internationally.
In 2022, with the support of the European Commission, the Gigafactory project came to life: the goal was to reach 3GW of photovoltaic panel production per year. In the following two years, 3SUN expanded its product portfolio and doubled its production facility with a new 150,000-square-meter building in order to enable the large-scale production of new PV technologies and continue the research and development of innovative solutions.
Milestones for the Sun Factory
2010
Year of foundation
2015
Enel acquires a 100% stake in 3SUN
2022
Gigafactory Project Kick-off
2024
Module Gigafactory Start-up
2025
Cell Gigafactory Start-up
2026
The dream of the Sun Factory continues: 3SUN strengthens its production of high-performance cells and modules while advancing innovative technologies such as the Tandem project (perovskite-on-silicon).
Cutting-edge solar technologies: European innovation starts in Catania, Italy
The first revolution at 3SUN was the creation in 2018 of a new line of next-generation bifacial photovoltaic modules in amorphous and crystalline silicon Hetero Junction Technology, or HJT. The HJT approach enables the solar cells to perform better than other commercially available cells, increasing their efficiency: indeed, the conversion ratio between irradiation and generated power went up from 10% for thin-film cells to over 20% for HJT modules.
This technology, in addition to ensuring high performance, has low degradation of the photovoltaic module and possesses enough robustness to enable a lifetime of more than 30 years and greater resilience, even in extreme climatic situations, thereby ensuring high energy production, even at high temperatures.
Today, 3SUN's proprietary CORE-H® technology, which combines crystalline and amorphous silicon to maximize energy yield and durability, provides the basis for its PV modules. Flagship products include the 3SUN B60, a high-efficiency bifacial module designed for utility-scale and commercial and industrial (C&I) installations. It offers a 90% bifaciality coefficient, excellent thermal stability and low performance degradation over time.
But innovation does not stop. In the second half of 2025 was launched 3SUN B48, a module with a reduced format for greater installation application flexibility.
Innovation also continues on the research front: in collaboration with CEA-INES, 3SUN is developing Tandem technology, which combines heterojunction and perovskite on silicon in order to increase efficiency in sunlight conversion. A new record was recently set: 30.8% efficiency on prototype cells, marking a decisive step toward the future of high-performance photovoltaics.
Excellence from the very beginning.
Continuous monitoring, consistent quality.
The reliability of our production processes is built on rigorous quality testing and inspections, conducted both on the production line and in the laboratory. We perform daily checks on manufacturing operations against clearly defined tolerance limits. Thanks to automation, our systems monitor operations in real time and immediately flag any anomalies, allowing us to take prompt corrective action and maintain consistent production of photovoltaic cells and modules.
Precision, control, reliability.
The accuracy of our inspections is ensured through regular verification and ongoing calibration of all equipment and instruments used in testing. Dedicated operating procedures and routine checks ensure that machine performance remains stable and consistent over time. Furthermore, by analyzing results, managing corrective actions, and implementing agreed improvement plans, we progressively optimize the entire production system.
The importance of raw material traceability.
The excellence of our photovoltaic modules starts with the traceability of the raw materials we use. To produce photovoltaic cells, for instance, we exclusively use polysilicon sourced from qualified and certified supply chains, subject to rigorous verification protocols. Through audits and comprehensive checks across the entire supply chain, we verify the origin of materials, their full compliance with international standards, and their adherence to our sustainability and quality requirements at every stage of procurement.
People and Resources
Today, the plant employs over 600 people (half of whom were hired between 2023 and 2024), with expansion plans that will lead to the creation of about 1,000 new direct jobs and the same number of “spin-off” jobs in the local economy.
This is part of a growth strategy that places people at the center and grasps the opportunities offered by the energy transition. In 2024, the Gigafactory obtained about €90 million from resources earmarked for the green transition in the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR, which in Italy implements NextGenerationEU, the fund created by the European Union to support member states in their post-pandemic recovery). Back in 2022, the European Union supported the project with a grant of €99 million.
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