NICE Solar Energy & Manz set CIGS thin-film solar module efficiency record at 17.6%

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The new total area efficiency record has been confirmed by TÜV Rheinland on a module surface area of 120 x 60 centimeters, using Manz production equipment at the NICE Solar Energy R&D facility in Schwäbisch Hall, Germany. Image Manz

The German-China partnership between Manz and China Energy Investment Group Co., Shanghai Electric Group Co and Future Science City, now known as NICE Solar Energy, have set a new CIGS thin-film module conversion efficiency record of 17.6 %. 

The new total area efficiency record has been confirmed by TÜV Rheinland on a module surface area of 120 x 60 centimeters, using Manz production equipment at the NICE Solar Energy R&D facility in Schwäbisch Hall, Germany.

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NICE Solar Energy is currently building manufacturing operations in Chongqing in central China with an initial capacity of 306MW. 

 

The forthcoming PV CellTech 2020 event in Penang, Malaysia on 10-11 March 2020 is to feature a special session topic on thin-film solar PV, and review the prospects of this technology being the subject of another round of global investments.

7 October 2025
San Francisco Bay Area, USA
PV Tech has been running an annual PV CellTech Conference since 2016. PV CellTech USA, on 7-8 October 2025 is our third PV CellTech conference dedicated to the U.S. manufacturing sector. The events in 2023 and 2024 were a sell out success and 2025 will once again gather the key stakeholders from PV manufacturing, equipment/materials, policy-making and strategy, capital equipment investment and all interested downstream channels and third-party entities. The goal is simple: to map out PV manufacturing in the U.S. out to 2030 and beyond.
10 March 2026
Frankfurt, Germany
The conference will gather the key stakeholders from PV manufacturing, equipment/materials, policy-making and strategy, capital equipment investment and all interested downstream channels and third-party entities. The goal is simple: to map out PV manufacturing out to 2030 and beyond.

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