New plant

 

TIDMCOD 
 
RNS Number : 2000N 
Compagnie de Saint-Gobain 
07 June 2010 
 

 
 
                                                                    June 7, 2010 
 
 
 
                Saint-Gobain to build a second plant to produce 
              high-efficiency photovoltaic modules in Germany 
 
 
 
 
As part of its solar power growth strategy, Saint-Gobain has announced that its 
subsidiary Avancis, will be building a new plant to produce photovoltaic (PV) 
modules to cover the roofs of residential, industrial and commercial buildings 
as well as solar plants. This industrial site will be located in Torgau, 
Germany, where the Group is already present through Saint-Gobain Glass (flat 
glass and coated glass), Saint-Gobain Sekurit (automotive glass) and Avancis (PV 
modules). 
 
This new plant will be Avancis' second German facility manufacturing thin-film 
CIGS (Copper - Indium - Gallium - Selenide) photovoltaic panels. It will be 
built close to the first Avancis industrial site. The new Avancis plant will 
have a production output of 100 MWp/year, capable of supplying year after year 
the electricity needs for cities of 15,000 inhabitants. With a surface area of 
25,000m², the site should come on stream by the first quarter of 2012. 
 
The innovative technology based on depositing a coating of CIGS on a glass 
substrate offers a way to avoid traditional crystalline silicon and achieve 
higher conversion efficiencies than other thin-film technologies (above 12% 
industrially and up to 20% in the laboratory). It is also efficient at lower 
light levels, and offers competitive advantages in terms of manufacturing costs. 
In addition, its aesthetic style is particularly appealing. This technology 
requires leading-edge expertise when it comes to coating and thermally-treating 
glass material, two core-competency processes for Saint-Gobain, the world's 
leading coated glass specialist for the building and automotive industries. 
 
"This project marks a new milestone in Saint-Gobain's commitment to the 
renewable energy sector. With this plant, Saint-Gobain will boost the industrial 
development of Avancis and help it become a major reference in the field of 
high-efficiency thin-film PV modules" explains Jean-Pierre Floris, President of 
the Innovative Materials Sector and Senior-Vice President of Saint-Gobain. This 
is an extremely promising technology which combines the low production costs 
associated with all thin-film based techniques, with efficiencies approaching 
the higher levels achieved using polycrystalline silicon cells. Whilst being 
well-adapted for solar fields, the Avancis modules are particularly recommended 
for roof installation, being simple to mount, stylish and reliable. 
 
PV solar energy has grown at a fast pace, riding on public policy support, 
though it should soon be developing independently from the latter, considering 
its intrinsic competitiveness. The nominal power installed today at a global 
scale is around 10 GW, and this market is expected to grow 20 to 30 % annually 
between now and 2020. With this investment, Saint-Gobain, world leader in 
habitat, is taking its share in the soaring solar market and positioning itself 
as an innovation-driven player. 
 
                                      *** 
 
Located in 64 countries with over 190,000 employees, Saint-Gobain, the world 
leader in the habitat and construction markets, designs, manufactures and 
distributes building materials, providing innovative solutions to meet growing 
demand in emerging and mature countries, for energy efficiency and for 
environmental protection. Saint-Gobain Solar combines all Saint-Gobain 
businesses in the solar sector. Present over the whole value chain, the 
Saint-Gobain Solar strategy hinges on three independent activities: 
·     the manufacturing and sale of high-performance mirrors designed for solar 
thermal plant operators and high-tech components for PV modules (special glass, 
high-performance plastics...). 
·      the production, through its Avancis company, of thin-film PV modules 
based on CIGS technology (Copper, Indium, Gallium, Selenide), designed for 
distributors, system  integrators and power plant operators. 
·      the design and marketing, through Saint-Gobain Solar Systems, of PV 
solutions for residential homes, office buildings, industrial and farm 
installations. 
 
 
 
+------------------------------------+-------------------------------+ 
|    Analyst & Investor relations    |        Press relations        | 
+------------------------------------+-------------------------------+ 
|                                    |                               | 
| Florence Triou-Teixeira        +33 | Sophie Chevallon        +33 1 | 
| 1 47 62 45 19                      | 47 62 30 48                   | 
| Etienne Humbert                    |                               | 
| [phone]                  |                               | 
| Vivien Dardel                      |                               | 
| [phone]                  |                               | 
|                                    |                               | 
+------------------------------------+-------------------------------+ 
 
 
This information is provided by RNS 
            The company news service from the London Stock Exchange 
   END 
 
 MSCUGUUAQUPUGAM