World record-breaking Manz thin-film technology to be unveiled at European Photovoltaic Exhibition

• Manz presents world record - thin-film solar cell module with 14% conversion efficiency

• Focus on Manz's 2nd CIGSforum, achieving technological milestones

• Photovoltaic manufacturers have huge room for improvement: Manz system makes old production lines profitable again

August 30, 2011. Manz, a high-tech industry integrated solutions provider, will be showcasing its latest product range of equipment for the production of crystalline silicon solar cells and thin-film solar modules at the 26th EUPVSEC in Hamburg. The focus of Manz's exhibition will be on the latest breakthroughs in CIGS thin-film technology (September 5-8, 2011, Hall A1, Booth B1).

At present, Manz is the only manufacturer in the world that can supply complete turnkey production lines for CIGS solar cell modules that can be mass-produced and profitable. Manz will once again demonstrate the strength of its CIGSfab at this exhibition - the thin-film module has achieved an unprecedented light reception efficiency of 15.1%, equivalent to 14% of the actual mass-produced module efficiency, setting a world record in this field. The CIGS solar cell module is manufactured by the mass production equipment of Manz's partner Würth Solar in the Schwäbisch Hall factory. The original production specifications are 600x1200 mm and the output power is 100 watts.

"Module manufacturers are currently facing pressure from a sharp decline in solar cell prices around the world," said Dieter Manz, founder and CEO of Manz. "Only companies that can position themselves as cost leaders and offer the highest efficiency modules will be able to survive the financial crisis. Our CIGSfab is based on the most promising thin-film technology and fully meets both requirements."

Since the summer of 2010, Manz has been working closely with the Center for Solar Energy and Hydrogen Research Baden-Württemberg (ZSW) and the cell module manufacturer Würth Solar to improve CIGS technology. ZSW currently holds the world record for laboratory module conversion efficiency of 20.3%, which shows the potential for future development of CIGS technology. Dieter Manz said: "The challenge for our collaborative team now is to significantly reduce the gap between the level that can be achieved in actual large-scale production and the laboratory results."

Manz will present the progress achieved so far at the CIGSforum on Tuesday, September 6, 2011 at 11:30.

In addition to the above technologies, Manz will also display its series of process equipment and automation equipment that can be integrated into existing crystalline silicon and thin-film solar module production lines at PVSEC. Dieter Manz said: "As we have seen in the past few months, after the price drop, a large number of production lines used around the world have been unable to operate economically. But these production lines can be upgraded to become more efficient and profitable again." Cell component and module manufacturers can achieve efficiency advantages by increasing module efficiency, reducing material consumption or through system optimization of individual process steps. Manz can provide reasonably priced automation systems, advanced laser technology and high-performance inspection equipment to achieve this goal.