Operations have started at the new Sharp Display Products Corp.’s 10th-generation LCD panel plant in Sakai City, Japan, the company announced Thursday. Construction on the manufacturing complex began November 2007. The facility will process mother glass panels 60 percent larger than the sheets used in Sharp’s eighth-generation LCD plant to produce energy-saving panels of 40 inches and larger. Initial production capacity is expected to be 36,000 substrates a month, increasing gradually to 72,000. A part of the facility dedicated to thin-film solar cell production is scheduled to open by March 2010. The new complex employs resource-saving features such as waste management and water recycling systems, 100,000 indoor and outdoor LED lights, and solar panels on all factory roofs to generate 18 MW of electricity for use at the facility.