3SModultec sells integrated solar panel production line to West Africa

3SModultec sells integrated solar panel production line to West Africa

The Senegalese solar power company SPEC is establishing the first solar panel factory in West Africa, with the support of 3S Modultec

The founders of the Senegalese solar company SPEC will be making the vision of West Africa’s first solar panel factory come true in the next few weeks. The local team is being supported by solar experts from 3S Modultec, which is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Meyer Burger Technology AG (quoted on the SIX Swiss Exchange: ticker code MBTN). The Swiss Meyer Burger Technology Group is continuing its international expansion with the sale of the first integrated production line to Africa and its cooperation with SPEC.

Due to its geographical location and the lack of an extensive grid, Africa offers outstanding potential for generating solar power. From June 2011, SPEC in Dakar will be producing high-quality solar panels, certified by the German agency TÜV Rhineland, for African markets.Mamadou Saliou Sow, the CEO of SPEC, is convinced that his company has found the right partner in 3S Modultec. “The production line is fully aligned with our specific requirements and we shall benefit from 3S’s enormous process expertise and experience in solar panel production. This is extremely important to us as newcomers to the industry. With 3S’s support, we can offer our customers consistently high-quality products.”

The 15MW production line for solar panels, which can be expanded to 25 MW, has been sold to SPEC along with the transfer of skills, a comprehensive training package, certification of the panels to be produced and a service and maintenance contract. Experts from 3S are supporting the local SPEC team on site and monitoring the Senegalese throughout the planning, ramp-up, production launch and certification phases. The production concept has been specifically matched to local conditions and customer requirements in Africa. The production line combines automated and semi-automatic production stages, with optimum integration of manual work.

A versatile, rapid market launch with integrated 3S Modultec production lines

3S production lines are modular and can be extended with little outlay and without interrupting production. The perfectly coordinated range of 3S production lines from a one-stop shop combined with unique certification support and comprehensive process training forms an ideal basis for comprehensive project completion in the shortest possible time, which is particularly important to clients such as SPEC, who want to launch initial production at the lowest possible risk. The 3S Modultec integrated production solution improves time-to-market and cuts the TCO for production across the entire value-added chain for high-performance solar panels.

SPEC

The SPEC solar power company is a new Senegalese venture. Its objective is to popularise solar technology across Africa. From summer 2011, SPEC will offer is customers in Senegal and other African countries high-quality, TÜV-certified standard solar panels. As well as its main business in solar panel production, SPEC has a technology and innovation centre specialising in solar energy for the development of major turnkey projects. This technological hub consists of its development department on the one hand, and on the other, its engineering and service departments.

Contact:

Dr. Anja Knaus

3S Swiss Solar Systems AG

Head of Communications

fon +41(0)32 391 1136  fax  +41(0)32 391 1112

anja.knaus@3-s.ch

www.3-s.ch

About 3S Swiss Solar Systems AG
www.3-s.ch

3S Swiss Solar Systems has for years been the world's technological market leader in the field of laminating. With fully automatic laminating lines from Lyss, module manufacturers worldwide today produce photovoltaic modules of highest quality. Since 2008, 3S Swiss Solar Systems has been integrating various machines into turnkey production lines for the manufacture of solar modules with greatly differing degrees of automation. The equipment for solar module producers is now being marketed under the brand-name of 3S Modultec.

Our company also develops and produces, under the newly introduced brand 3S Photovoltaics, trend-setting, building-integrated solar systems and has specialised here in solar modules for roofs, facades and shading solutions. Solar modules from our factory in Lyss are the perfect synthesis of a robust, weatherproof building shell and efficient, environmentally friendly energy production.

3S Swiss Solar Systems with the brands of 3S Modultec – Module Solutions and 3S Photovoltaics – Solar Building Technologies has been a subsidiary of Meyer Burger Technology AG since January 2010.

About Meyer Burger Technology Ltd

www.meyerburger.com

Meyer Burger is a leading and globally active technology group for innovative systems and processes for cutting and handling crystalline and other high-grade materials.

The machines, competences and technologies of the different companies within the group are used in the solar industry (photovoltaics), semiconductor and optical industry. The thinnest wafers made from silicon, sapphire or other crystals are required in these three markets to manufacture solar modules, switching circuits or high-performance LEDs. The group’s core competences are made up of a whole range of production processes, machines and systems that are used within the value chain in the manufacture of high quality wafers. Since the merger in January 2010 with 3S Industries Ltd, the worldwide leader in turnkey production lines and single equipment for the manufacturing of solar modules, the group also covers the entire value chain for solar module production and combines the key technologies of soldering, laminating and testing under one roof. Solar module manufacturers worldwide use the string soldering machines of Somont, the laminating lines of 3S and the testing technologies of Pasan, to produce solar modules whose performance, operating life and quality meet the highest demands. The group’s comprehensive range of products includes a worldwide service network with wear and tear parts, consumables, re-grooving services, process know-how, servicing, after-sales service, training and other services. As a globally active company, the group is represented in Europe, Asia and North America in the respective key markets.

Meyer Burger has its headquarters and the production facility of MB Wafertec (Meyer Burger Ltd) in Switzerland, while the group companies, Meyer Burger Automation GmbH, Hennecke Systems GmbH and AMB Apparate + Maschinenbau GmbH have their headquarters and production facilities in Germany. Diamond Materials Tech, Inc. has its headquarters in Colorado Springs, CO, USA. The production facilities of 3S Modultec, 3S Photovoltaics and Pasan are also located in Switzerland, while Somont is located in Germany. Meyer Burger Group has also subsidiaries and own service centres in Germany, Norway, Spain, USA, China, Japan, Singapore, South Korea and Taiwan. In other important markets, the company relies on selected independent agents. The registered shares of Meyer Burger Technology Ltd are listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange (Ticker: MBTN).

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