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Siemens Solar Achieves New Efficiency Record
for Thin Film Photovoltaic Modules CAMARILLO, Calif., September 29, 1998 — Following the recent commercial release of its new thin film technology, Siemens Solar
Industries today announced another world record for solar
module conversion efficiency.
Siemens Solar set a new record for all thin film power modules of any size by achieving a conversion efficiency of 11.8 percent with its copper indium diselenide (CIS) thin film technology. The
new mark surpasses the previous 11.1 percent record for large area thin film modules, set by Siemens Solar in July 1997.
The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) notified Siemens Solar it had achieved the new mark
with fully encapsulated monolithic modules that were delivered to the laboratory in a 1.2-kilowatt solar array. The 30-module array is performing at an average efficiency of 11.4 percent, according to NREL.
"The new
efficiency mark demonstrates our ability to increase the size of our CIS modules while achieving high performance," said Chet Farris, Chief Operating Officer of Siemens Solar Industries. ``We believe this achievement validates the
shared investment that the U.S. Department of Energy and Siemens Solar have made in thin film technology development."
The record setting one-foot by four-foot modules were developed in collaboration with NREL as part of the
U.S. Department of Energy's Thin Film Photovoltaics Partnership Program. ``The commercial introduction of the very promising CIS technology by Siemens Solar represents a major event in the development of photovoltaics," said Ken
Zweibel, NREL's manager of the Thin Film Partnership.
Siemens Solar recently introduced 5 and 10-watt CIS modules for commercial distribution and will announce the availability of the new large-area modules in the near
future.
The U.S. Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory is the nation's leading laboratory for renewable energy research and technology development.
The Siemens Solar Group is the world's leading
manufacturer in the photovoltaic industry. The Siemens Solar Group is comprised of Siemens Solar GmbH in Munich, Germany (a joint venture of Siemens AG and Bayernwerk 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." Contact:
Tina Nickerson at (805)388-6519
FAX: (805)388-6395
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