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Avancis, a subsidiary of Saint-Gobain, will be constructing a 100MW capacity plant in Torgau, Germany. The new factory, which has an undisclosed cost at this point, will be built close to the first Avancis industrial site and feature the manufacturing of copper-indium-gallium-(di) selenide thin-film PV panels. Completion and commencement of operation is expected by the first quarter of 2012.
"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 VP of Saint-Gobain.
Compared to crystalline silicon technology, the use of CIGS coating on a glass substrate has shown higher conversion efficiencies from other thin-film technologies, reaching more than 12% in the industrial sector and 20% in the laboratory, according to Avancis. It also competes by offering efficiency at lower light levels and lower manufacturing costs.
