Astronergy to increase thin film capacity to 75 MW in early 2011

TRUBBACH, SWITZERLAND & HANGZHOU, CHINA: Astronergy and Oerlikon Solar jointly announce a follow-up purchase agreement for Oerlikon Solar's thin film equipment.
With this order Astronergy will increase its production capacity from 30 MW today to 75 MW in 2010. The purchase is a key element in the expansion plan of Astronergy's thin film solar PV modules of up to 400 MW within the near future.

"We are committed to taking the thin film route as a direction for growth," said Astronergy CEO Dr. Liyou Yang. "We are pleased to see that the thin film silicon market is step by step gaining momentum", states Dr. Michael Buscher, CEO of Oerlikon.

As the first large-scale manufacturer of high-efficiency tandem-junction Amorphous and Micromorph(R) thin film modules in mainland China, Astronergy has been able to offer its products to customers in varied regions for a wide variety of applications, including a facade on its headquarters building in Hangzhou.

"By focusing our efforts on thin film products and diligently working to strengthen our core competencies, we will maintain our reputation as a first-class PV enterprise. We are highly confident that continued collaboration will enable both of our companies to extend our leadership in the thin film solar industry," said Dr. Liyou Lang, CEO of Astronergy.

The expanded capacity will incorporate new module materials and the latest innovations in thin film technology into the production process. The agreement details an expansion plan that will bring Astronergy's total thin film module capacity to at least 75 MW by early 2011, as the first phase of a 400 MW thin film expansion plan.

"We let our customers benefit from technology innovations that lead to cost reductions. By continuously doing so, we help them stay on track on their cost and technology roadmaps. Astronergy represents a further milestone on our way to demonstrating that thin film silicon technology leads to the lowest module production cost per watt," said Jurg Henz, CEO of Oerlikon Solar.