Saint-Gobain (GOB.F) subsidiary Avancis, plans to build a new manufacturing plant for photovoltaic modules.
The 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).
The new plant will be Avancis’ second German facility manufacturing thin-film CIGS (Copper – Indium – Gallium – Selenide) photovoltaic panels.
The new Avancis plant will have a production output of 100 megawatts (MW) per year. The plant is expected to be operational by 1Q12.
Avancis says its 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). The company says it is also efficient at lower light levels, and offers competitive advantages in terms of manufacturing costs.
The company says 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.
Avancis said the modules can be used in solar fields, but they are particularly recommended for roof installation, due to their stylish aesthetic and simple mounting systems.
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