SolarWorld Massively Expands US Production

SolarWorld AG will be massively expanding its production capacities in the US. At the Hillsboro, OR site, the group will build a new manufacturing facility for the production of crystalline solar power modules with a capacity of 350 megawatt until 2011. This will boost the group’s integrated production capacity of crystalline solar wafers, solar cells and solar modules in the U.S. to 500MW each and further strengthen its position as the largest producer of solar power technology in the U.S. Nationwide, more than 1,000 employees will be working for SolarWorld in the U.S.

”We are quite deliberately expanding our production in our future markets“, says Frank H. Asbeck, chairman and CEO of SolarWorld AG. Already today the U.S. is the third largest sales region for solar power technology. “In addition to good growth prospects, the U.S. as a production location also offers the best possible framework conditions to meet the high SolarWorld quality demands. What we have found here is an excellent research infrastructure, a highly qualified workforce and high social and environmental standards. These are central parameters for the production of sustainable and high efficiency products.”

The group which has more than 30 years of experience with its locations in the U.S. market is thus consistently implementing its announcements on the expansion of the U.S. sites. Already one year ago SolarWorld had renewed the solar module production at the traditional site in Camarillo, CA and had opened the new Hillsboro site, where a highly modern wafer and cell production facility started operating in October 2008.

The expansion of the module segment that has now been announced completes the solar value chain at this particular location. Together with the expansion at the European location in Freiberg, Germany, SolarWorld AG will have group-wide production capacities of more than one gigawatt by 2011 and will employ more than 3,000 people.