CIGS TURNKEY PRODUCTION SOLUTION

CIGS PRODUCTION SOLUTIONS – UNRIVALED PROFITABILITY ThE PERFECT mODEL FOR CREATING VALUE LOCALLY

PhOTOVOLTAICSCONTENT

CIGS teChnoloGy SolutIonS

Manz ag at a glance 3

cIgS tecHnOlOgY – SecurIng lOweSt energY prOductIOn cOStS 4

Manz cIgSfab – unrIvaled prOfItabIlItY 5

PASSIONFOR EFFICIENCY

3

process machines and automation systems by Manz offer many advantages for customers in the photovoltaic industry. they are characterized by maximum efficiency and reliability. Maximum process quality and, at the same time, low cost of ownership are evidence of the high level of development and well-designed system solutions.

Manz ag based in reutlingen, germany, is a world-leading high-tech engineering company. the company, founded in 1987, has expertise in seven technology sectors: automation, metrology, laser processing, vacuum coating, wet chemistry, printing and coating, as well as roll-to-roll processes. Manz deploys and further develops these technologies in its strategic fields, the Solar, electronic components, electronic devices, and energy Storage business segments.

the company, led by founder dieter Manz, has been listed on the stock exchange in germany since 2006, and currently operates production facilities in germany, china, taiwan, Slovakia, Hungary, and Italy. Manz ag also has sales and service branches in the uSa, South Korea and India. at the beginning of 2015, Manz ag had approximately 1,900 employees, 900 of which work in asia. revenue in the past financial year amounted to more than eur 305 million.

with its slogan “passion for efficiency,” Manz is making a promise to offer its customers – all companies active in important future markets – increasingly efficient production equipment. like this, the company contributes significantly to reduce the production costs of end products and thereby making them available for a broad range of buyers worldwide. therefore, Manz is continuously optimising its product portfolio. the aim is to achieve highly reliable production processes on the customer side while steadily improving performance parameters for products manufactured on Manz equipment. this makes the Manz group an important driver of innovation, helping to achieve breakthroughs in key technologies of our times, such as sustainable power generation, displays for global communication needs and e-mobility.

4

CIGS TEChNOLOGY – SECURING LOwEST SOLAR ENERGY PRODUCTION COSTS

CIGS is the most promising solar technology with already 10 % higher energy yields compared to polycrystalline panels

Perfect for local value creation – the largest portion of the value chain takes place within the country

The ideal solution for hot climates

Manz is concentrating on further optimizing the performance of cIgS technology, because it is the most promising one to meet the current markets’ requirements for reduced costs and increased efficiency.

CIGS thin-film technology is based on a very thin conductive layer of copper, indium, gal-lium, and selenium. It is the solar technology which offers lowest production costs already today and bears the highest potential for both further increases in efficiency and reductions in cost. today it has already reached 10 % higher energy yields compared to polycrystalline panels. also, cIgS offers additional unbeatable benefits compared to crystalline technology:

highest level of local Value Creation cIgS panels are manufactured on a fully integrated production line. the process starts with a basic glass substrate. to manufacture a cIgS panel, only a few different conductive layers are deposited onto the substrate, which are then connected electrically. this means that compared to crystalline solar cell production, the use of cost-intensive materials (like silicon) is kept to an extreme minimum. the production of a panel is far less complex and the larg-est portion of the value chain (beginning with the production of the glass panels) takes place within the country.

no Financial Risk an annual production capacity of approximately 150 Mw is already sufficient to make production profitable. In crystalline solar technology, an investment in the gigawatt range is necessary to achieve the same result.

Sustainable Production One of the benefits of cIgS is the low amount of material required. while present-day crys-talline cells are around 200 µm thick, the cIgS absorber is less than 2 µm thick. this saves material during production and is sustainable and environmentally friendly.

outstanding temperature Coefficient even in blazing sunshine, the lower temperature coefficient of cIgS solar panels proves that the power yield, despite the increased surface temperature, is significantly better than crys-talline solar modules. and the superior power yield from cIgS solar panels more than makes up for the marginally better coefficient of other thin-film technologies.

With the development of the photovoltaic technology and changing parameters WorldWide, the cigs technology is the most suitable one for future groWth.

5

Individual Customization there are unlimited possibilities of customizing cIgS solar panels: from laser ablation of the black coating to screen printing of forms, texts, logos in all colors – everything is possible.

An Architectural highlight – Facade Integration cIgS solar panels have an excellent performance in low light. this is also a reason why cIgS solar panels are perfect for integration into buildings and building facades (i.e. vertical instal-lation). cIgS solar panels have an excellent yield in all angles of incidence. and on top of that, their clean, modern, and elegant appearance is truly a delight to behold.

latest technology Manz has exclusive access to research results of the zSw (centre for Solar energy and Hydrogen research baden-württemberg). with 21.7 %, the zSw holds the world record for efficiency for all thin-film technologies on rigid substrates and employs the world‘s leading research experts in the cIgS sector. Manz can thus offer a maximum investment security with its thin-film fabs due to the high potential increase of efficiency and the believable technology and cost roadmap.

Manz and the renowned ZSW are exclusive partners with regard to CIGS technology research

building-integrated photovoltaics (bIpv) frameless cIgS modules on rooftop

Manz AG, Reutlingen Leading equipment manufacturer for photovoltaics.

ZSW – Center for Solar Energy and Hydrogen Research Baden-WürttembergRenowned research institute with CIGS world record of 21.7 % on rigid substrates. Expertise in basic & advanced research.

CIGS teChnoloGy – exCluSIVe PARtneRS

6

mANz CIGSfab – UNRIVALED PROFITABLITY

fossile energy resources are limited – but locally produced reneWables are the future. choosing manz means selecting a strong and reliable partner.

under the brand name CIGSfab, Manz offers fully integrated, turnkey production lines that can be configured for an annual output between 40 and 500 MW. as of today, the Manz cIgSfab is the only integrated and fully-productive turn-key production line for CIGS modules that generates profit. there are many reasons to invest in one of these lines – here are just the top ones:

lowest cost of generating power from solar technology. when it comes to producing energy from photovoltaics, cIgS is the technology that promises the highest achievable margins. this mature technology is ready for use – now.

lowest production costs. Manz has already demonstrated that production costs of 0.40 uSd/w are absolutely realistic to be achieved with the Manz cIgSfab. Our develop-ers are working continuously on identifying areas with cost-cutting potential, for example, through the use of improved coating processes.

Manz has the most experienced CIGS team in the solar industry. this is because 120 cIgS specialists transferred to Manz upon acquisition of the production line from würth Solar, the formerly leading manufacturer of cIgS solar panels. furthermore, the expertise this group of employees has gained during 40 years of work and research is globally unmatched. with bern-hard dimmler and bernd Sprecher, two of the most renowned cIgS specialists work at Manz.

Manz’s one-of-a-kind technological position. as one of the world’s leading high-tech engineering firms, Manz now also owns the groundbreaking processing technology and in-tellectual property of würth Solar. this combination is unique in the industry and guarantees the rapid advancement of cIgS technology.

highest efficiency in mass production. the Manz cIgSfab has an average guaranteed module efficiency of approx. 14 % already today, making it the turnkey line with the highest efficiency (module and aperture area) at the present time.

Significant potential to increase efficiency. cIgS technology is considered the technology with the greatest potential for efficiency increases. the proof of this is the zSw’s world record cell with an efficiency of 21.7 % on rigid substrates, and Manz’s record panel with a module efficiency of 16 %.

Low production costs of 0.40 USD/W

Lowest cost of generating solar power with a technology that’s ready for use now

CIGSfab is the turnkey line with the highest efficiency

7

Solar park with cIgS Modules in Kunming, china

Scalable and easy to upgrade – the Manz CIGSfab offers greates flexibility

Learn more about the business model

the CIGSfab is scalable. the Manz cIgSfab is available with an output from 40 Mwp up to 500 Mwp. a 40 Mwp cIgSfab can also be expanded at a later time when customers need to increase their production capacity.

Possibility to upgrade. a cIgSfab can be upgraded to the current state of technology de-veloped at the zSw and tested at the cIgS innovation line any time. this guarantees that a plant constructed today can also be operated profitably in the future as well. as such, Manz offers its customers maximum security for their investment.

A documented and reliable technology roadmap. the cIgS innovation line can be used to test and optimize new innovative processes, alternative materials, and new panel designs in mass-production conditions. this significantly accelerates the development of cIgS technol-ogy and minimizes the risk of delays when ramping up production.

With its CIGSfab lines, Manz is focusing on increasing integration within the production process. the goal of process integration is to have individual machines take over several production steps. and only companies such as Manz, which are experts in each and every step of the process, can drive integration and as a result, significantly cut panel production costs. the Manz group covers all the important technologies involved, including vacuum coating, wet chemistry, laser processing technology, measurement technology, automation, and metallization.

1

3

5

6

9

7

4

11 12

1314

8

10

2

1234567

89

1011121314

cleaningMo coating automation p1 laser Scribing cIgS coating

cbd-cdS + znO coating p2 Mechanical Scribing

znO:al coating p3 Mechanical Scribinglaser edge ablation laser drilling + contactingModule Marriage + lamination Junction box assembly light Soak + Sun Simulator

frameless cIgS Module

ma

nz

ag

0

5/20

15

manz AG Steigaeckerstrasse 5 72768 Reutlingen Germany

Phone +49 7121 9000 0 Fax +49 7121 9000 99

www.manz.com info@manz.com

16 %ChAmPION

mODULE wITh

EFFICIENCY OF