Avancis Starts 100 MWp CIS Production

Avancis, manufacturer of CIS solar modules, has commenced production in its second factory at company headquarters in Torgau, Germany (Picture: Avancis)

The new Torgau production site for ultra-modern CIS solar modules has an overall capacity of 100 megawatt peak (MWp) per year. The new factory will expand Avancis’ annual production capacity from currently 20 MWp to 120 MWp in total. On an area of 25,000 m² the company will manufacture more than 800,000 efficient CIS solar modules annually at full production. Avancis had just recently achieved a new efficiency record of 15.8 % in the laboratory with a 30 × 30 cm CIS solar module.

Avancis’ new factory will expand the company’s annual production capacity from currently 20 MWp to 120 MWp in total (Picture: Avancis)

Singulus Technologies AG supplied 3 selenization machines for this CIS production facility and successfully passed technical acceptance testing in November 2011.

Hartmut Fischer, CEO of Avancis, comments: “Our new factory is currently state-of-the-art in terms of production in the CIS area: developed and built by our own factory planning team and equipped with the most modern machines from established German engineering companies, we will manufacture the next generation of ultra-modern CIS solar modules here”. In the course of the opening ceremony on December 16, 2011, Singulus was singled out by Avancis as one of the three best suppliers for on-time delivery of the selenization machines as well as for quick commissioning.

Avancis develops and produces thin-film photovoltaic modules based on CIS (copper indium selenide) technology. The innovative manufacturing process relies on the third generation CIS technology developed by the Avancis Research & Development department at Munich. The production capacity of the first factory at the company headquarters in Torgau amounts to 20 megawatt peak per year (MWp/a). The company is currently building a second factory in Torgau with an annual capacity of 100 MWp/a.