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Siemens Solar Unveils Next-Generation Photovoltaic Technology VIENNA, Austria, July 7, 1998 -- Siemens Solar Group, the world's largest manufacturer of solar cells and modules, today announced the production of a new family of solar modules based on CIS (Copper Indium DiSelenide) thin-film technology. This technology has clear advantages over its competitors in terms of output, efficiency and reliability. The first products to be marketed by Siemens
Solar are 5-watt (ST5) and 10-watt (ST10) modules. By putting the ST5 and ST10 modules into production, Siemens Solar has reached an important milestone in its manufacturing plan. Production and field experience with these products
will form the basis for future volume production of power modules (³ 40 watts of peak power) based on the CIS technology. With these relatively small modules, Siemens Solar's CIS technology offers a particular advantage:
open-circuit voltage of 18 to 25 volts (commonly required for the modules) can be achieved at no additional expense through the manufacturing process. By contrast, conventional crystalline silicon technology involves the expensive
process of sawing up solar cells and soldering them together so that 36 solar cells are created to deliver the necessary open-circuit voltage Siemens Solar has been working for a number of years in its German and American laboratories on developing a thin-film technology that saves on both materials and costs. The company has concentrated its efforts on CIS since this technology delivers high efficiency while simultaneously saving on manufacturing costs. The reliability of CIS has been successfully tested over an eight-year field trial conducted by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) in Golden, Colorado. The cost of a photovoltaic cell, which converts sunlight directly
into electricity, is largely dependent on the materials used in its construction. Until the present, the solar industry almost exclusively has used solar cells based on silicon wafers, which are sawed from crystalline silicon
ingots. This method of manufacturing, used for many years in mass production, is highly material and energy-intensive. In addition, the price for solar-grade silicon, the raw material used by the photovoltaic industry, has more
than tripled since 1995 and is continuing to increase. Despite efforts to produce inexpensive solar-grade silicon, a long-term solution to the raw material problem requires a technology that minimizes material inputs. Over the
years, researchers throughout the photovoltaic industry have focused their efforts on developing thin-film manufacturing technologies that reduce the amount of semiconductor material consumed by a factor of 50 to 100. However, this
challenge has turned out to be considerably more difficult and time-consuming than originally assumed. An international team of engineers and scientists was responsible for the success of Siemens Solar's CIS technology. Research
and development work was led by:
The US Department of Energy (DOE) and the California Energy Commission (CEC) provided sponsorship of Siemens Solar's CIS activities in the US. In Germany, Siemens Solar received assistance from the Federal Government (BMBF),
the State of Bavaria (Bayerische Forschungsstiftung), and by the European Union (DG XII). The Siemens Solar Group is comprised of Siemens Solar GmbH in Munich, Germany (a joint venture of Siemens AG and Bayerwerk AG); Siemens
Solar Industries, a limited partnership in Camarillo, California; and two joint ventures, Siemens Showa Solar Ltd. in Singapore, and Showa Solar Energy K.K. in Tokyo, Japan. With a market share of 20 percent, the Siemens Solar
Group is the world's leading company in the photovoltaic industry. Contact:
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