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Camarillo, CA, September 24th, 2007. SolarWorld Group will present itself at the Solar Power 2007 conference and trade show in Long Beach, California from September 24th to 27th. Solar Power is the biggest solar show in the Americas and brings people from science and industry together. “The American market, particularly in California, is one of the fastest growing the in the world and SolarWorld’s operations here are a big part of our strategy for continued growth world-wide,” says CSO Frank Henn. SolarWorld’s Camarillo, CA factory has been the largest US producer of high quality PV modules for 30 years. The recent addition of SolarWorld’s 500 MW Hillsboro, OR factory means that a significant portion of the world’s PV cells and modules will be made in the USA.
With its booth, the SolarWorld Group will present its Sunmodule® product line, which ranges from 50 W up to 215 W. SolarWorld’s Sunmodules® were recently proven in a one year performance test conducted by PHOTON magazine and published in their September issue. The results of this long-term test put Sunmodules® in both 2nd and 3rd place, confirming their exemplary performance in real-world environments.
SolarWorld’s US-produced modules were also used to outfit Zurich’s Letzigrund Stadium where they will provide climate-friendly electricity for the upcoming European Soccer Championships as the stadium is among the venues of the competition which will be held in Austria and Switzerland. SolarWorld AG has supplied a total of 1,276 high performance modules from its Camarillo, California factory for installation on the stadium roof upwards of the south curve. The high efficiency modules add up to a peak output of 223 Kilowatts and will supply some 184,000 Kilowatt-hours of emission-free electricity per year.
SolarWorld’s booth will showcase a scale model of the solar racer SolarWorld No.1, which the company is sponsoring in this year’s World Solar Challenge. The racer, propelled by the power of the sun, was developed and built by engineering students of the Bochum University of Applied Sciences in cooperation with SolarWorld AG. The high-tech carbon fiber solar racer will enter the unofficial world championships of solar motor racing, the Panasonic World Solar Challenge, in Australia from October 21st to 28th. “SolarWorld No.1 is setting new standards in solar motor sports,” says Frank H. Asbeck, Chairman and CEO of SolarWorld. “Using comprehensive, first rate engineering know-how and highly efficient solar technology, we see ourselves in pole position to win the race,” he says.
SolarWorld AG is the primary sponsor of the solar racer, which has a curb weight of 330 lbs and reaches a top speed of 75 mph. Its aerodynamically optimized design was inspired by the shape of a dolphin. The vehicle is driven by a highly efficient solar generator that catches the sunlight on a total surface of six square meters. More than 40 budding engineers participated in the design of this unique racing car. “The main aim of our sponsoring activities is to demonstrate the technological efficiency and readiness for use of solar energy and, in doing so, to promote our best young people. By making young scientists from areas like mechanical engineering, mechatronics, computer science and electrical engineering aware of the technological potentials of solar energy, we support the technological development of tomorrow,” adds Asbeck.
About the SolarWorld Group: The SolarWorld Group is among the top three solar power companies worldwide. The group is dedicated exclusively to the core business of solar energy, combining all stages of the solar value chain, from the raw material silicon to turn-key solar power plants. The company operates production facilities in Germany, Sweden and the USA. In California, the largest production site in the USA for solar modules is being expanded and in Oregon, the largest production site in the USA for solar wafers and cells is being tooled up. In Freiberg, the group operates one of the world’s most advanced integrated solar production facilities. Sales offices in Germany, Spain, California, South Africa and Singapore service the international solar markets. In addition to on-grid solar power products, the group increasingly distributes rural solar power solutions internationally that can make an important contribution to the sustainable economic development of rural regions.
After the IPO at the end of 1999, the company quickly developed into one of the world’s largest fully integrated solar technology groups. At the end of the second quarter of 2007, some 1,800 people were working for the group. At the stock exchange, SolarWorld AG is listed in the technology index TecDAX, in the Öko-DAX, in the Dow Jones STOXX 600, in the international MSCI Index as well as in the sustainability indices DAXglobal Alternative Energy and NAI.
Visit us at booth #140 at Solar Power 2007!
For more information please contact:
Anne Schneider
Public Relations & Marketing
SolarWorld California
4650 Adohr Lane
Camarillo, CA 93012
Phone: +1 805 388 6285
a.schneider(at)solarworld-usa.com
www.solarworld-usa.com
Sandra Schmitz
Investor Relations
SolarWorld AG
Kurt-Schumacher-Str. 12-14
53113 Bonn
Phone: +49 228-55920
s.schmitz(at)solarworld.de
www.solarworld.de
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