First 120 MW-ThinFab order for Oerlikon Solar

TRUBBACH, SWITZERLAND: Oerlikon Solar announced the first order of a turnkey 120-MW-Micromorph production line (ThinFab) for manufacturing thin film silicon modules. The order came from a new customer in Asia that is already active in the renewable energy sector and has decided to enter the thin film silicon technology in a large capacity.

"Our customer chose Oerlikon ThinFab technology due to low module costs, competitive energy efficiency especially under real operational conditions, and because we offer a clean-tech, cadmium-free solution. This first 120-MW-ThinFab order underlines the potential of our solar business," said Helmut Frankenberger, CEO Oerlikon Solar.
Oerlikon Solar's ThinFab was presented to the public in September 2010 and offers the following advantages:

Production costs: ThinFabTM reduces the "total cost of ownership" for solar modules to EUR 0.50/Wp - the lowest value in the solar industry.
Energy efficiency: Compared to other solar manufacturing processes, the production of Oerlikon thin film silicon modules requires the least amount of energy. The "energy payback time" with Oerlikon technology is less than one year.
Practical benefits: Thin film silicon modules gain advantages under real operational conditions, e.g. cloudy sky or high temperatures, where the efficiency of crystalline solar cells declines significantly.
Environmentally friendly: Thin film silicon modules do not contain toxic additives like Cadmium.
Sustainability: Oerlikon's solar technology has further potential to increase efficiency and productivity, demonstrated by ThinFab lab world record cell with an efficiency of 11.9 percent.

Oerlikon Solar modules are suitable for all types of roof and open space applications. Their attractive design and transparency makes them also applicable for integration into buildings.

"We have very positive feedback from the market to our new production line. We are certain that this order will generate even more interest in our thin film silicon solution," commented Peter Tinner, Head of Sales & Marketing at Oerlikon Solar.

Since the launch of ThinFab, Oerlikon Solar has successfully sold some upgrade orders to existing customers. This new order is the first one for a complete 120 MW production line. The delivery of this ThinFab with an annual production capacity of around 850,000 solar modules will begin in early 2012. The production line will be installed in Asia.

"This success is a further important step forward for Oerlikon Solar. It is significant that this order comes from Asia, the fastest growing, highly competitive and very important region for the solar industry today. We look forward to building on this success," said Oerlikon CEO Michael Buscher.