EANS-News: centrotherm SiTec achieves important milestone at Chinese state company with "First Ingot Out"

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Company Information

Blaubeuren (euro adhoc) - July 7, 2011 - With "First Ingot Out",
centrotherm SiTec GmbH, a wholly-owned subsidiary of centrotherm
photovoltaics AG, has achieved an important production milestone at
large Chinese polysilicon manufacturer expanding to ingot at Shaanxi
Province. The first 450 kilogram ingot was produced in less than 60
hours in the multi-crystalline ingot furnace developed by centrotherm
SiTec, and has already achieved high quality standards.

"The system has impressively exceeded market standards with this
commercial production run", commented Dr. Christian Hoess, Head of
Crystallization Development. "The potentials of this technology have
not yet been fully exhausted. This furnace type offers customers
upgrade options to boost capacity by further 35% while at the same
time entailing lower expenditure."

"With this "First Ingot Out" that we reached on a very ambitious
timescale, we have shown that we can offer excellent technology along
the entire solar value chain, and not only in the polysilicon and
solar cell areas", noted Dr. Albrecht Mozer, Managing Director of
centrotherm SiTec. "As a provider of technology and key equipment
along the entire solar value chain, we enable our customers to
implement optimally integrated production processes entailing low
operating costs and outstanding quality." Further multi-crystalline
ingot furnaces are currently being installed and ramped up at Chinese
state company.

In the multi-crystalline ingot furnace, polysilicon chunks are
initially melt in a silica crucible at over 1,450° Celsius. The
silicon melt is then converted into multi-crystalline ingots by a
process of directional solidification. Bricks and wafers are
subsequently cut from these multi-crystalline ingots, before being
processed to produce solar cells and modules.

About centrotherm photovoltaics AG centrotherm photovoltaics AG,
which is based at Blaubeuren, Germany, is the world's leading
technology and equipment provider for the photovoltaics sector. The
company equips well-known solar companies and new sector entrants
with turnkey production lines and single equipment to manufacture
silicon, ingots and bricks, crystalline solar cells and modules, and
thin film modules. As a consequence, the Group possesses a broad and
well-founded technological basis, as well as key equipment at
practically all steps of the photovoltaics value chain. centrotherm
photovoltaics guarantees its customers important performance
parameters such as production capacity, efficiencies, and completion
deadlines. The Group employs over 1,700 staff members, and operates
in Europe, Asia and the USA. centrotherm photovoltaics achieved
revenue in the 2010 financial year of EUR 624,2 million, EBIT of
EUR 75.4 million. The company is listed in the TecDAX index on the
Frankfurt Stock Exchange.

Contact:
Saskia Feil
Senior Manager Investor & Public Relations
Tel: +49 7344 918-8890
E-mail: saskia.feil@centrotherm.de

Dr. Torsten Knödler
Manager Public Relations
Tel: +49 7344 918-8898
E-mail: torsten.knoedler@centrotherm.de

Further inquiry note:
Dr. Torsten Knödler
Manager Public Relations
Tel.: 07344 - 918-8898
E-Mail: torsten.knoedler@centrotherm.de

end of announcement euro adhoc
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company: centrotherm photovoltaics AG
Johannes-Schmid-Str. 8
D-89143 Blaubeuren
phone: +49 (0) 7344 91880
mail: info@centrotherm.de
WWW: http://www.centrotherm.de
sector: Energy
ISIN: DE000A0JMMN2
indexes: TecDAX
stockmarkets: regulated dealing/prime standard: Frankfurt, free trade: Berlin,
Hamburg, Stuttgart, Düsseldorf, München
language: English