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15.01.2008, SCHOTT Solar GmbH

SCHOTT ASI 86: First Shipments From New Thin Film Factory in Jena

SCHOTT Solar sales partners receive first deliveries of the new SCHOTT ASI 86 thin film modules

Alzenau / Jena, January 9, 2008 – SCHOTT Solar, the manufacturer of solar components, had its new manufacturing facility opened by Thuringia’s First Minister Dieter Althaus just last November. The new factory in Jena produces the SCHOTT ASI thin film module. Production got underway as planned, and the first palettes are already en route to the SCHOTT sales partners.

The foundation stone for this new facility for 33 MW thin film modules – an investment of 75 million Euro – was laid in September 2006. By taking this step, SCHOTT Solar created 180 additional jobs at its Jena group headquarters. The facility was ceremoniously opened on November 6, 2007 with First Minister Dieter Althaus and Professor Udo Ungeheuer, Chairman of the Board at SCHOTT, being present. “The tight time plan of 15 months could be achieved to a large extent due to the company’s many years of experience in thin film manufacturing” says Factory Manager Bertram Eichhorn.

The SCHOTT Solar sales partners see the new encapsulated SCHOTT ASI 86 thin film module as a valuable extension to the product portfolio. “The production quantities for 2008 are almost all sold already” says Michael Schmidt, Sales Manager at SCHOTT Solar. “We have to thank our sales partners for their support and the trust they’ve placed in us.” He’s convinced that “without them, the ‘Extending ASI’ project would never have been realised in this amount of time.”

Due to its dimensions, the SCHOTT ASI 86 is particularly well suited for large roofs and open spaces such as can be found in agriculture. It produces around 86 Watts nominal power output. Especially with a less favourable roof orientation and in warmer regions, the ASI modules produce a higher energy yield than crystalline modules. The energy pay back time of SCHOTT ASI 86 modules is less than two years. The convenient installation is also a positive economic factor; the ready to use light weight SCHOTT ASI 86 glass-foil-modules are designed for a simple and inexpensive system integration.

SCHOTT ASI 86 technical details:

Nominal power output: 86 Wp
Maximum system voltage: 1000 V
Weight: 19 kg
Dimensions: 1308 mm x 1108 mm
Frame height: 50 mm
Connections: Tyco socket with bypass diode, Tyco plug

Durable solution

SCHOTT Solar solutions are all distinguished by one special feature. They’re extremely durable – whatever comes along. SCHOTT Solar has been developing and producing solar components for almost 50 years and this wealth of experience is reflected in the development of new modules. Sales and marketing is carried out by SCHOTT Solar contracted partners.

SCHOTT Solar GmbH is a leading manufacturer of wafers, cells and modules for photovoltaic generation of energy. Combining innovation and quality, SCHOTT Solar effectively utilizes the potential of the sun as an inexhaustible source of energy. The company, headquartered in Alzenau in Bavaria, employs a staff of around 900 worldwide, about 10 percent of whom are employed in research and development. SCHOTT Solar’s history dates back to the first use of photovoltaics in the late 1950s.Today the company’s production facilities in Germany include Alzenau, Jena and Putzbrunn near Munich, and it also produces in the Czech republic and the USA. As a daughter company of the SCHOTT group of Mainz, Germany, SCHOTT Solar GmbH profits from the economic and technological capabilities of its strong parent company.

SCHOTT is an international technology group that sees its core purpose as the lasting improvement of living and working conditions. For this purpose special materials, components and systems are developed. The main areas of focus are the household appliances industry, optics and opto-electronics, pharmaceuticals and solar energy. The SCHOTT Group has a presence in proximity to its customers through its production and sales companies in all its major markets. It has approximately 16,800 employees producing worldwide sales of approximately 2,2 billion euros. The company's technological and economic expertise is closely linked with its social and ecological responsibility.

Press pictures can be downloaded at www.schott-pictures.net