Kahl am Main, January 13, 2011 – SINGULUS TECHNOLOGIES AG (SINGULUS) has succeeded in clinching a contract for five selenization systems for CIS thin-film solar cells. In 2009 SINGULUS had developed a new processing system for thin-film solar technology in close cooperation with AVANCIS GmbH & Co. KG (AVANCIS) and secured an initial order worth more than € 19 million at the start of 2010. The follow-on order easily exceeds that amount, with a value of over € 30 million.
"CIS technology is a comparatively new manufacturing method that is already proving very successful and still offers huge potential for cutting costs and improving efficiency," emphasized Hartmut Fischer, CEO of AVANCIS. "The SINGULUS systems are an important building block in our CIS solar cell plant. That is why we have again chosen SINGULUS as supplier for our FAB 3 in our joint venture for the manufacturing of CIS thin film modules in South Korea."
This contract signals another important advance for SINGULUS as it seeks to establish itself through new systems in the growing solar market. Dr.-Ing. Stefan Rinck, CEO of SINGULUS, remarked: "We are delighted at the repeat order and regard this as confirmation that CIS will be the pioneering technology in the future. It is hugely important for us that we will supply the key production machines for the electric producing layer for this very successfully developing solar technology."
Company Profile SINGULUS TECHNOLOGIES
SINGULUS is the only company worldwide providing the complete value chain for all optical disc formats: Mastering, Molding, Replication. Up to now, SINGULUS has delivered more than 85 Blu-ray production machines to customers around the world. The latest technologic developments enable additional new applications for the Blu-ray format in the future. For this, amongst others, Blu-ray discs for the new 3D movie and television technology in HD-quality are required.
SINGULUS will considerably expand its activities in the Solar segment and intensify its market activities. Accordingly, new equipment for the photovoltaics industry will be introduced to the market. The company’s target is to position itself at the forefront for the introduction of new technologies with respect to silicon as well as thin-film solar technology. In the future due to the available technologies, know-how and personal capabilities SINGULUS will not only supply individual machines and equipment to the solar market but will also actively market complete systems with process know-how for crystaline silicon solar cells. The enhancement of the strategy - to become OEM supplier as well as system provider - will offer the company new and additional opportunities.
About AVANCIS:
AVANCIS develops and produces thin-film photovoltaic modules based on CIS technology (Copper Indium Selenide). The innovative manufacturing process relies on the third-generation CIS technology that has been developed by the AVANCIS R&D department in Munich. The first plant at the company’s headquarters in Torgau has a production capacity of 20 megawatt peak per year (MWp/a). The company is currently constructing a second plant with an annual capacity of 100 MWp/a.
Siemens, Shell and Saint-Gobain are some of the big names that helped cultivate the technology now available from AVANCIS while it was still in its infancy. The successes achieved in the field of photovoltaics are due in large part to their efforts. For example, as a subsidiary of Saint-Gobain since autumn 2009, AVANCIS benefits from its many years of expertise when it comes to coating and heat treating glass (both core competencies of this leading global supplier of construction and automotive glass).
Background CIS Technology:
Based on depositing coatings of CIS on a glass substrate, the technology developed by Avancis avoids using traditional crystalline silicon. This technology makes it possible to imagine production costs as low as other thin-film based techniques, while its electrical efficiency (above 12% industrially and more than 20% in the laboratory) is close to the higher yields achieved using polycrystalline silicon cells. As well as being suitable for solar fields, CIS thin-film based modules are especially recommended for roof installations, due to their simplicity of assembly, their attractive appearance and their reliability.