Major Solar Breakthroughs in Germany Ahead of PVSEC

Berlin/Hamburg (ots) - Germany's photovoltaic industry is marked
by yet another milestone ahead of this year's European Photovoltaic
Solar Energy Conference & Exhibition (EU PVSEC), taking place from
September 21 - 25 in Hamburg. Last week California-based Nanosolar
opened its fully-automated thin film panel factory in Luckenwalde
near Berlin. This new factory sets several new benchmarks for the
industry.

Germany is the longstanding global leader in photovoltaics. There
are more than 500,000 solar electricity systems in Germany that have
an output of 5.3 GWp of cumulated power, of which 1.5 GWp comes from
systems installed in 2008. Germany's market accounts for 37 percent
of the entire global industry. The PV industry in Germany posted over
EUR 7 billion in revenues in 2008 and expects 15-20 percent market
growth until 2013.

The opening of the Nanosolar plant has the potential to shift the
industry in a number of ways. First, the fully-automated plant is an
affirmation of German efficiency in production. When operating on a
24/7 basis, it will have an annual module producing capacity of 640
MW. This is equivalent to one panel every 10 seconds.

The thin film cells also set a new efficiency record for this type
of cell, reaching a median efficiency rating of 11 percent and a
maximum electricity conversion of 16.4 percent.

On the technical side, Nanosolar uses aluminum rather than a glass
substrate, which lowers costs and increases application possibilities
due to the lighter weight of the cells. This change combined with the
nanoparticle ink printing technique used to produce the cells mark a
leap forward for Germany and the entire photovoltaic industry.

The opening of this state-of-the-art Berlin plant could have a
strong impact on the price of thin film cells, meaning that the
industry could reach grid parity sooner than expected.

Nanosolar's new plant also demonstrates how new developments in
research can be implemented rapidly. Public and private players
invested over EUR 190 million in solar R&D in 2008 to support further
breakthroughs in photovoltaics. With over 57,000 employers in the
industry in 2008, Germany is host to a wealth of qualified workers
for new investors in the solar industry. Germany Trade & Invest
provided comprehensive support for Nanosolar with its decision to
invest in Germany.

This year's EU PVSEC returns to the world's photovoltaics leader
(after being held in Valencia in 2008, Milan in 2007, and Dresden in
2006). Hamburg is a fitting choice, as it was named the European
Green Capital for 2011, only the second city to receive this honor,
due to its leading role in renewable energies. The solar industry is
well represented here: Conergy AG, Centrosolar AG, CIS Solartechnik
GmbH, BP Solar, Colexon AG, and SunEnergy are all based in Hamburg.

Representatives from Germany Trade & Invest will be on hand at
stand B4G/29 at this year's EU PVSEC to present the opportunities
available in Germany's photovoltaic industry including the latest
developments in R&D and production.

Germany Trade & Invest is the foreign trade and inward investment
promotion agency of the Federal Republic of Germany. The organization
advises foreign companies looking to expand their business activities
in the German market. It provides information on foreign trade to
German companies that seek to enter foreign markets.

Originaltext: Germany Trade and Invest
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Contact:
Eva Henkel
Email: eva.henkel@gtai.com
Phone: +49-(0)30-200099-173
Fax: +49-(0)30-200099-111