mitte l punkt - Wirtschaftsinitiative für Mitteldeutschland

mitte l punkt 

METROPOLREGION 

Sachsendreieck 

Chemnitz.Dresden.Halle.Leipzig.Zwickau 

Erfurt.Gera.Jena.Weimar 

Dessau-Roßlau.Magdeburg 

The information magazine of the Industrial Initiative for Central Germany 

in co-operation with the Sachsendreieck metropolitan region | Theme Solar | Issue 3 | December 2008 

Radiant future 

The energy of tomorrow is being created today in the ”Solarvalley Mitteldeutschland“ 

Picture credit: frankoppermann - Fotolia.com 

Sunshine in the tank 

Sunny outlook 

Turn towards the sun 

Dr. Hubert Aulich and Dr. Jörg Bagdahn 

in a discussion of objectives and tasks of 

Central Germany is the world’s most 

important photovoltaic location. This is 

Solar electricity at competitive prices is 

the primary goal of researchers and developers 

the cluster. 

10 now to be expanded upon further. 14 

in the region. 

22

A STRONG TRIANGLE 

The Sachsendreieck - Saxon triangle - metropolitan region brings together stakeholders from 

Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt and Thuringia 

Editorial 


The competitiveness of regions is gaining increasing importance in view of globalisation and European integration. A 

particular role here is played by the metropolitan regions as centres of social innovation and economic development. 

The Sachsendreieck metropolitan region is an amalgamation of the cities of Chemnitz, Dresden, Halle, Leipzig and 

Zwickau in co-operation with the ImPuls-Region Erfurt-Weimar-Jena and the town of Gera in Thuringia, as well as the 

city of Magdeburg and town of Dessau-Roßlau in Saxony-Anhalt. Together with stakeholders from the fields of administration, 

culture and science, specific projects aimed at strengthening the region are developed in different spheres 

of activity. 

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02 

03 

04 

05 

06 

07 

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09 

Cradle of modern architecture 

Unique cultural landscape 

Pioneer of new energies 

Hub at the heart of Europe 

Home of innovation 

Automobile region with a long 

tradition 

International meeting place of 

business and culture 

First-class research location 

Home of illustrious companies 

01 

02 

03 

04 

05 

06 

07 

08 

09 

New energy from Central Germany 

The cluster ”Solarvalley Mitteldeutschland“ provides key impulses 

for the photovoltaic sector. 

Dear Readers, 

And the winner is: Photovoltaics from 

Central Germany! The ”Solarvalley Mitteldeutschland“ 

initiative has emerged as the 

winner of the cluster competition staged 

by the Federal Ministry of Education and 

Research. The ”Solarvalley Mitteldeutschland“ 

cluster involves collaboration between 

30 solar companies, ten research establishments 

and 

four universities in Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt 

and Thuringia. The coming together of the 

three states was 

a key statement underlining the future of 

the photovoltaic industry, with this in turn 

further underscored by the winning of this 

national competition. This sets an important 

signal for the photovoltaic sector 

as a pioneer in the field of high technology, 

as well as for the Central German region as 

a whole. 

Within the shortest of times, Central Germany 

has advanced to become the leading 

global location for solar technology. In 

2007 alone, 18 percent of all cells manufactured 

worldwide were produced in Central 

Germany, making up almost 90 percent 

of German output. This spatial density of 

production and 

research, together with a range of technologies, 

is unique of its kind. It is important 

that we expand upon this pole position in 

order to compete effectively worldwide. 

The prerequisite for this is continued sup- 

port for research and development in renewable 

energy sources. We are already 

well-placed to achieve this with the ”Solarvalley 

Mitteldeutschland“, as an integrative, 

carefully co-ordinated development 

plan for the areas of research and development, 

training and cluster formation is 

already being actively implemented. 

However, our goal is not only to persevere 

in global competition, we also have a vision, 

an ambitious target: by 2015 we aim to 

reduce the costs of solar energy and achieve 

grid parity in Germany. 

Photovoltaics is an exciting branch, you, 

too, can be convinced by its energy. On 

that note, it only remains for me to wish 

you a pleasant read. 

Dr. Hubert Aulich 

Spokesperson Solarvalley Mitteldeutschland 

E-Mail: spitzencluster@solarvalley.org 

Internet: www.solarvalley.org 


This brochure has been created in collaboration with the following partners: 

Urs Luczak, Geschäftsstelle Metropolregion Sachsendreieck, Tel.: +49 371/4886135, Fax: +49 371/ 

488 61 95, urs.luczak@stadt-chemnitz.de, www.region-sachsendreieck.de, André Soudah, Wirtschaftsinitiative 

für Mitteldeutschland, Tel.: +49 341/600 1614, Fax: +49 341/600 16-13, soudah@mittel- 

METROPOLREGION 

GOALS OF THE MAGAZINE 

deutschland.com, www.mitteldeutschland.com, Achim Lohse, Amt für Wirtschaftsförderung, 

Sachsendreieck 

Stadt Leipzig, Tel.: +49 341/123 58 57, Fax: +49 341/123 58 25, achim.lohse@leipzig.de, www.leip- Chemnitz.Dresden.Halle.Leipzig.Zwickau 

Competition between the European locations 

is set to increase. The clear positioning With qualified articles and striking images. 

fluence far beyond Central Germany itself. 

zig.de, Volkmar Bauer, Amt für Wirtschaftsförderung, Stadt Erfurt, Tel.: +49 361/6551924, 

Erfurt.Gera.Jena.Weimar 

Dessau-Roßlau.Magdeburg 

Fax: +49 361/6556880, volkmar.bauer@erfurt.de, www.erfurt.de, Uwe Kamprath, Amt für Wirtschaftsförderung, 

Stadt Halle (Saale), Tel.: +49 345/22147 81, Fax: +49 345/2214776, uwe.kamprath@halle.de, 

www.halle.de, Sigrid Mettig, Stabsstelle Wirtschaftsförderung, Stadt Jena, Tel.: +49 3641/ Head of the 

for the future in this competitive environ- 

and Thuringia are able to increase their 

and profiling of a region serves as security As a consequence, Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt 

Urs Luczak 

495020, Fax: +49 3641/115020, mettigs@jena.de, www.jena.de, Dieter Clausnitzer, Referat Sachsendreieck Metropolitan Region 

ment. mitte l punkt reports from an interregional 

aspect on sectors that radiate in- 

area. Things are on the move here! 

attractiveness as an interlinked economic 

Wirtschaftsförderung, Stadt Freiberg, Tel.: +49 3731/273322, Fax: +49 3731/27373322, wifoe@ 

freiberg.de, www.freiberg.de, Elena Herzel, Entwicklungs- und Wirtschaftsförderungsgesellschaft City of Chemnitz, Town Planning Office 

Annaberger Str. 89 

Anhalt-Bitterfeld mbH (EWG), Tel.: +49 3494/638367, Fax: +49 3494/638358, e.herzel@ewg-anhaltbitterfeld.de, 

www.ewg-anhalt-bitterfeld.de, Birgit Marxmeier, Dezernat für Wirtschaft, Tourismus Tel.: +49 371/4886135 

und regionale Zusammenarbeit, Stadt Magdeburg, Tel.: +49 391/5402279, Fax: +49 391/540 2619, 

Fax: +49 371/4886195 

birgit.marxmeier@ob.magdeburg.de, www.magdeburg.de 

urs.luczak@stadt-chemnitz.de 

09120 Chemnitz 

Issue 3 | December 2008 2 3 

Issue 3 | December 2008 

Picture credits: 01 Büro Kaufmann/Vierich, Leipzig; 02 Stadt Weimar; 03 GEOSOL; 04 Uwe Schoßig Flughafen Leipzig/Halle; 05 Jenoptik; 06 August-Horch-Museum, Zwickau; 

07 Leipziger Messe GmbH/Uwe Frauendorf; 08 Stadt Jena; 09 Stadt Jena

contents 


IQ INNOVATION AWARD 

FOR CENTRAL GERMANY 2009 

The way 

forward 

Sunshine in the tank 10 Sunny outlook 14 Turn towards the sun 22 

Topics in this issue 

Picture credits: BMBF/Akhtar; ersol AG; Rainer Weisflog 

Don’t be left behind! 

www.iq-mitteldeutschland.de 

06 

10 

14 

Economy 

Current news from the photovoltaic 

industry in the region. 

Sunshine in the tank 

Dr. Hubert Aulich and Dr. Jörg 

Bagdahn discuss the potential of solar 

energy and the goals and tasks of 

the ”Solarvalley Mitteldeutschland“ 

cluster. 

Sunny outlook 

The region has developed into one of 

the leading global sites for the production 

of solar cells. The aim is for 

this position to be expanded upon 

further 

20 

22 

27 

The elegant solution 

Its matt black surface makes the 

CIGS thin film modules from Solibro 

GmbH ideal for the optically pleasing 

integration into building facades. 


Throughout the length of the value 

added chain, research is underway 

in Central Germany to find new solutions 

for making solar electricity 

competitive. 

3 Questions to 

Dr. Peter Frey of the CiS Research 

Institute for Micro Sensors and Photovoltaics 

on the current focus of his 

research. 

28 

32 

34 

The experts of tomorrow 

Companies and universities are joining 

up to develop new training and 

further training offers. Because the 

dynamic growth of the solar industry 

will require well-trained, skilled workers 

in the future. 

Optimal value added 

Service providers and system providers 

play an important role in efficient 

solar electricity solutions. A key 

theme here is the integration of modules 

in building facades. 

Did you know? 

Facts that are curious, remarkable 

and worth knowing on the subject of 

solar energy. 

Cluster award sponsors 

Overall award sponsors 

Adjudication guidance 

5 

Issue 3 | December 2008

economy 

economy 


Anton Milner 

was awarded the distinction 

of ”Eco manager of the year 

2008“ by the business magazine 

”Capital“ and the environmental 

foundation WWF Deutschland. 

The director of Q-Cells SE was rewarded 

for his pioneering work in the establishment 

of environmentally-friendly energy. 

Dr. Stefan Schweizer 

has been acquired for a research 

project that is to be 

conducted in the scope of 

the ”Fraunhofer Attract“ 

funding programme in Halle (Saale). 

This top researcher is working at the 

Fraunhofer-Center für Silizium-Photovoltaik 

CSP on a new procedure for 

obtaining energy from sunlight. 

Dr. Nikolaus Benz and Dr.- 

Ing. Thomas Kuckelkorn 

of SCHOTT Solar have 

been nominated for 

the German Federal 

President's Prize For Innovation And 

Advanced Technology. Under their aegis 

a receiver was developed for solar 

power plants that enables even more 

electricity to be obtained. 

Jörg von Strom 

was appointed to the 

Board of Sunways AG on 

1 November. As Chief 

Operating Officer (COO), 

in future he will have special responsibility 

for the fields of market supply, 

purchasing and production. This should 

serve to increase the process efficiency 

of the company. 

Stefanie Fritsch 

Was the 1,000th employee 

of ersol Solar Energy 

AG to begin work at the 

company, in June 2008. 

The 24-year-old works in Erfurt in the 

department dealing with the cleaning, 

inspection and packing of wafers. The 

company plans to create up to 1,000 

new jobs throughout Germany over 

the next two years. 

The Silicon Pilot Production GmbH pilot plant is to form the 

foundation for a new silicon cluster in Lusatia. 

Further information 

www.schmidgruppe.de 

Roth & Rau AG successfully supplies customers throughout the 

world from Hohenstein-Ernstthal. 


www.roth-rau.de 

New forms of integrating solar technology was the focus of the 

Bauhaus.SOLAR congress at the Erfurt fairground. 

MAGNETIC EFFECT SERVICE PROVIDER CONGRESS YOUNG TALENT 

Silicon washing 

Silicon Pilot Production GmbH lays 

foundation stone for silicon plant. 

On 16 October the Spree valley Schwarze 

Pumpe industrial estate saw the laying of a 

foundation stone for a facility of Silicon Pilot 

Production GmbH. According to details released 

by the company, Schmid Silicon Technology 

GmbH of Baden-Württemberg is set 

to invest a total of 49 million euros in the site 

by the end of 2009. Around 90 new jobs are 

to be created on the 12,000 square metre 

premises. 

The plant will produce monosilane and polysilicon. 

Both of these materials are required 

in the production of solar cells. This involves 

raw silicon being cleaned to the extent that 

it may subsequently be used in the photovoltaic 

process. Production in the first stage 

of the pilot line is set to commence as early 

as June next year, with the second entering 

operation at the end of December 2009, the 

investor announced. It is also hoped that the 

plant attracts other companies of the solar 

sector to the area. ”The foundation stone 

could form the base for an entire silicon cluster 

in Lusatia,“ says the Saxon Minister of 

Economic Affairs, Thomas Jurk. 

On course for growth 

Roth & Rau with increased sales 

and plans for acquisition in 2009. 

The Roth & Rau Group grew strongly in 

the first nine months of the business year 

2008. By the end of September 2008 the 

group, based in Hohenstein-Ernstthal, Saxony, 

had recorded sales of 197.48 million 

euros, exceeding the figures for the preceding 

year by 83.7 percent. Strong demand 

from customers in Asia played a key role in 

this, responsible for around 53.2 percent of 

turnover. 

”We subsequently confirm our forecast 

for the year 2008 as a whole, namely to 

achieve turnover of at least 250 million euros, 

with an EBIT margin of at least 10.0 

percent,“ declared Carsten Bovenschen, 

Finance Director of Roth & Rau AG. 

The company, one of the leading worldwide 

providers of plasma process systems for 

the photovoltaic industry, has its sights set 

on further growth in 2009. On 01 January 

it will acquire Tecnofimes S.r.l., based in 

Monza, Italy. Together, the two companies 

will develop new in-line diffusion furnaces, 

with these in turn manufactured by Roth 

& Rau. 

Bauhaus.SOLAR 

Congress looks for new forms of 

architectural integration. 

On the roof or arranged to cover enormous 

open spaces. Solar cells such as these are 

familiar to all. However, the constantly increasing 

number of such facilities means 

that the search for new forms of architectural 

integration in the design of urban living 

space is enjoying increasing significance. 

With the hosting of the first international 

Bauhaus.SOLAR congress, staged on the 

site of the Erfurt fairground on 25 and 26 

November, the Bauhaus-Universität Weimar 

aimed to initiate a multidisciplinary dialogue 

between urban planners, landscape 

architects, construction engineers, technicians, 

developers, designers and users with 

regard to this theme. 

The accompanying exhibition displayed 

examples of how the solar technology of 

the future could look. One example was 

the ten-metre-high grass stalks of the SX- 

PCK design team. SolarGrass uses a new 

technology of weavable photovoltaic fibres 

to create textile-like tissue. This sculpture 

is characterised by its lightness and grace, 

belying its dimensions. 


www.bauhaus-solar.de 

Raimund Otto, Managing Director of Stadtwerke Leipzig, with 

pupils from Adam-Friedrich-Oeser-Grundschule. 

Lego-Leipzig 

Primary school children build Leipzig 

of the future as ”Sun City“. 

In May of this year pupils from a class at 

Adam-Friedrich-Oeser-Grundschule Leipzig 

had the opportunity to display their 

credentials as future architects and electronic 

engineers in the scope of the Sun City 

project. At GaraGe, a technology centre for 

young people, they constructed their Leipzig 

of the future – using electricity sourced 

from solar modules. The material required 

for this came in the form of a multitude of 

Lego bricks, supplied by GaraGe sponsor 

Stadtwerke Leipzig. The children converted 

these blocks into an airport, city hall and 

even the Battle of Nations Monument and 

Cityhochhaus tower. 

Stadtwerke Leipzig has been collaborating 

with GaraGe since 2000. The idea for the 

Sun City was mooted with the aim of bringing 

primary school children into contact 

with the promising field of solar energy. 

No physical processes were taught at the 

GaraGe, instead the engineers of tomorrow 

received the opportunity to learn about sustainability 

first hand in the form of experimentation. 

JS JS JS JS 


www.swl.de 

Dark side of a sunny day 

It may sound paradoxical, but when 

the sun shines, solar cells lose energy. 

The reason for this is the increase in 

temperature that accompanies direct 

sunshine. These increases cause a loss 

of effectiveness, which scientists at the 

Institut für Kunststofftechnologie und 

-recycling (IKTR) in Weißandt-Gölzau 

now aim to prevent. 

”It is primarily the high temperatures 

within the module that are responsible,“ 

declares Frank Bergmann of the 

IKTR. In order to prevent the build up 

on heat, a process has been developed 

that draws excess warmth away from 

the solar cells. This procedure involves 

coating the rear of the photovoltaic 

modules with a heat conducting, liquid 

synthetic material. This currently only 

functions in the laboratory. Bergmann 

estimates that it will be two years before 

it is launched on the market. The 

situation is similar for a second synthetic 

material: an electrically conducting 

plastisol that serves as encapsulation 

material in the manufacture of solar 

modules. ”The trend towards increasingly 

thin wafers has led us to investigate 

alternatives to the soldering process 

currently in use for the electrical 

connection of solar cells.“ The gluing 

of the wafer-based modules appears 

to be one solution for the engineers. 

”This enables even thin modules to be 

produced more simply.“ The plastisol 

is currently in the test phase. ”We are 

looking for users to apply it on a series 

basis.“ 

www.iktr-online.de 

Picture credits: Fraunhofer CSP; SCHOTT Solar; Sunways AG; ersol Solar Energy AG; Schmid Silicon Technology GmbH; Roth & Rau AG; Messe Erfurt; Stadtwerke Leipzig; Instituts für Kunststofftechnologie und -recycling (IKTR) 



economy 

economy 


2008: Sunny year for the solar industry 

How it will look: the solar sail with which the zoo in Halle 

(Saale) will promote clean electricity from 2009. 

MARKETING 

Set sail 

Halle Zoo receives a solar sail and 

promotes ”green electricity“. 

Next year will see Halle Zoo receive a photovoltaic 

unit of a somewhat different kind. 

Where once fur seals were the sole source 

of attraction, a ten-metre-high solar sail 

now reaches skyward. The 100,000 euro 

unit was set up by regstrom, an association 

that aims to provide regenerative electricity 

in Halle. The sail is planned to be fitted 

with some 500 plate-sized solar modules, 

producing output of around two kilowatts. 

”Our goal is to use this ’eyecatcher‘ to promote 

the technology for generating ’green 

electricity‘ to the public without going into 

the economic arguments,“ declares Herrmann 

Beleites, Chairman of regstrom. 

He was also responsible for producing the 

necessary mathematic calculations for the 

project. The appearance of the unit is the 

work of Frithof Meinel, a professor of industrial 

design at Burg Giebichenstein University 

of Art and Design. 

Mechanical know-how was provided by 

statical engineers from Ingenieurbüro Hilpert 

and the Fraunhofer-Institut für Werkstoffmechanik. 

JS 

Dr. Rajeeva Lahri, Gunter Ziegenbalg, Dr. Bijan Moslehi (left to 

right) laying the foundation stone for the first Signet Solar plant. 

GROWTH 

Second site 

Signet Solar wants a stock market 

flotation and a further plant. 

The Californian solar module manufacturer 

Signet Solar is planning the establishment 

of a second plant in Saxony for 2010. 240 

million euros are currently being raised from 

banks to finance construction of the plant 

at the Dresden site, revealed the Managing 

Director of the European headquarters, 

Gunter Ziegenbalg, on 06 November. To 

date, module production takes place solely 

in Mochau, Saxony. The company specialises 

in producing especially large solar modules 

of up to 5.7 square metres. These are 

manufactured using silicon technology, for 

customers including solar farms. The aim is 

to create an alternative to standard forms 

of electricity generation, says Ziegenbalg. 

This year he anticipates sales of five million 

euros, with up to 200 million euros possible 

by 2011. Signet Solar plans to erect a 

further plant in the United States this year, 

with India also on the agenda. According 

to Ziegenbalg, a stock market flotation is 

possible at the end of 2009. The company 

primarily supplies installers in Germany, Europe 

and the USA. 

JS 

Q-Cells SE of Thalheim-Wolfen has progressed from start-up to 

global market leader since 2001. 

CO-OPERATION 

Gateway to China 

Q-Cells SE co-operates with 

Chinese solar cell manufacturer. 

The Chinese solar cell manufacturer Solarfun 

Power Holdings (Solarfun) signed a 

three-year supply agreement with the Q- 

Cells subsidiary Q-Cells International at the 

beginning of September, under the terms 

of which Q-Cells International will purchase 

photovoltaic modules from Solarfun with a 

capacity of at least 100 megawatts. Photovoltaic 

cells from Q-Cells SE will be used in 

the manufacturing process, which is set to 

take place in the period 2009 to 2011. 

”We are looking forward to working with 

Solarfun,“ declared Q-Cells Chief Executive 

Officer Anton Miller in a statement, ”they 

will meet the needs of the rapidly growing 

activities of Q-Cells International.“Q- 

Cells has set itself the goal of uniting its 

high performance cells with Solarfun’s high 

quality production site for solar cells, the 

end result of which will be the creation of 

cost-effective module solutions. Harold 

Hoskens, Chief Executive Officer at Solarfun, 

adds: ”We are convinced that this cooperation 

will be of benefit to both of the 

parties involved.“ 

JS 

Around 40,000 kilowatt hours of electricity per year are generated 

on a site near Leipzig the size of around 200 football pitches. 

ELECTRICITY GENERATION 

Greet the sun 

World’s second largest solar 

plant on former military airfield. 

The juwi group from the state of Rhineland- 

Palatinate has one primary objective: to produce 

solar electricity at competitive prices 

as quickly as possible, without the need for 

subsidies. This philosophy is currently being 

implemented in two major projects in Central 

Germany. By the end of 2008 the company 

will have erected the world’s second 

largest solar plant, located on a former military 

airfield to the east of the city of Leipzig. 

Up to 40,000 kilowatt hours per year will be 

capable of being produced on a site covering 

the size of around 200 football pitches. 

This output is equal to the annual electricity 

requirements of 10,000 households. The 

130 million euro investment will also create 

annual savings of around 25,000 tonnes of 

carbon dioxide per year. 

In addition, this year also sees the beginning 

of operations at the ”Köthen airfield“ 

solar plant in Saxony-Anhalt. Around 

200,000 photovoltaic modules on an area 

of 144,000 square metres will produce approximately 

13.5 megawatt hours of green 

electricity per year at the facility. 

JS 

More and more flat glass producers, such as Euroglass GmbH in 

Haldensleben, are discovering Saxony-Anhalt as a production site. 

SOLAR GLASS 

Perspective 

Saxony-Anhalt develops into 

solar glass location. 

Saxony-Anhalt is increasingly developing 

into a site of European significance for flat 

glass manufacturers. July saw fglass GmbH 

lay the foundation stone for the fourth flat 

glass works at the Osterweddingen site. 

Following an investment of around 188 

million euros, August 2009 will now see 

the commencement of production of some 

220,000 tonnes of flat glass per year, a large 

proportion of which will be white glass 

of the kind used in the solar industry. A total 

of 230 jobs will be created in the process. 

From May 2009 Euroglas GmbH will 

also be producing solar glass, at a site in 

Haldensleben. This premium glass has high 

energy transmission and is due to be refined 

at a production site that has been under 

construction since September. The new 

plant will have the capacity to refine over 

400 tonnes of glass a day for various applications 

in the solar industry, on a surface 

area of 15,000 square metres. In addition to 

its proximity to the solar industry, Saxony- 

Anhalt also boasts sources of the key raw 

materials soda, quartz sand and lime. KB 

2008 saw a continuation of the boom 

in the solar industry. ”In all likelihood, 

2008 will see double digit growth in 

the market once again,“ forecasts 

Carsten Körnig, Managing Director of 

the trade association Bundesverband 

Solarwirtschaft. In addition, by the end 

of this year the German solar industry 

will also pass the gigawatt threshold 

for the production of solar cells and 

modules. 

Q-Cells SE increased its sales by 61 

percent compared to 2007 in the first 

nine months of the year, reaching a total 

of 931.9 million euros. ersol Solar 

Energy AG also increased group sales 

in this period, to 214.6 million euros. 

This represents an increase of 101.5 

percent over the same period in the 

previous year. 

www.solarwirtschaft.de 

Silicon 

production 

Modules Solar cells Wafering Crystallisation 

System 

integration 

2006 

2015 

2006 

2015 

2006 

2015 

2006 

2015 

2006 

2015 

2006 

2015 

62 % 

64 % 

59% 

60% 

69 % 

69 % 

Planned cost savings in solar production. 

100 % 

100 % 

100 % 

100 % 

100 % 

100 % 

Source: Spitzenclusterinitiative Solarvalley Mitteldeutschland Picture credits: Frithjof Meinel; Signet Solar GmbH; Q-Cells SE; juwi Holding AG; Euroglas GmbH 


www.regstrom.de 


www.signetsolar.com 


www.q-cells.com 


www.juwi.de 


www.euroglas.com and www.fglass.de 



Interview 

Interview 


”Like a car where the tank is always full.“ 

Dr. Hubert Aulich and Dr. Jörg Bagdahn discuss the potential of voltaics, the benefits of clustering and 

the ambitious goals of ”Solarvalley Mitteldeutschland“. 

Text: Kai Bieler Photographs: Dietmar Tondar 

Even though it may not look like it, the sun 

is currently shining every day over Central 

Germany … 

Aulich: You could put it that way. But we 

are not the only ones to be enthusiastic 

about the benefits of the ”Solarvalley 

Mitteldeutschland“ cluster formation of 

the Federal Ministry of Education and Research, 

the enthusiasm is felt by the entire 

German photovoltaic sector. The fact that 

we have a pioneering position in one of the 

key technologies of the 21st century is an 

issue that radiates far beyond the Central 

German region itself. 

What were the reasons for this success? 

Bagdahn: There were two decisive factors: 

firstly, the status already achieved. 18 

percent of solar cells produced worldwide 

come from Central Germany and the conurbation 

of companies and research establishments 

is already unique of its kind. 

However, of even greater importance were 

the prospects. The region has the potential 

to develop into the leading worldwide location 

for solar technology. 

What predestined Central Germany as a 

photovoltaic location? 

Aulich: People were more open to new 

ideas and technologies here in the 1990s 

than they were in other regions. Politicians 

did a huge amount provide support and assistance 

to companies and start-ups in the 

field of renewable energies. 

Bagdahn: The region also offers a large 

number of skilled workers in the field of 

micro electronics, the chemical sector and 

engineering industry. Basically, the photovoltaic 

industry found ideal conditions for 

growth here. As a result we not only have 

production facilities in the region, but also 

companies with their headquarters and development 

operations in the area. 

What are the first 40 million euros of cluster 

funding earmarked for? 

Aulich: Over the next five years they will 

help us to further expand our leading position. 

Because the competition that we have 

to face will be fierce. These 40 million euros 

will be joined by a further 50 million euros 

from industry. In this we are concentrating 

our attentions on crystalline silicon technology. 

Why? 

Bagdahn: With a market share of 96 percent, 

it is the technology that will enable 

us to make a significant contribution to 

the generation of renewable energy by the 

year 2015. Within the cluster there are also 

companies working on alternatives, such 

as thin film cells based on copper indium 

gallinum selenide (CIGS). These activities 

certainly have potential, but the funding 

required will most likely come from the federal 

states. 

Aulich: The decisive factor is not the material, 

but the question of how the electricity 

is generated most cost effectively. In addition, 

silicon covers 25 percent of the world’s 

surface and is evenly distributed, avoiding 

the bottlenecks and dependencies of oil 

and gas. 

How is it possible to bring together 30 

companies, ten research establishments 

and four universities from three federal 

states? 

Aulich: This was no easy task. But we were 

aided by the fact that many of the compa- 

nies and research establishments are organised 

internationally. Just as the sun shines 

all over the world, these stakeholders think 

and act globally. We first discussed this in 

2007 at the 22nd European Photovoltaic 

Conference in Milan. All of those involved 

then united behind the vision of a Central 

German project with a global radiance, 

going by the name of ”Solarvalley Mitteldeutschland“. 

Despite the fact that companies and federal 

states are competing against one 

another? 

Aulich: Obviously there is still competition 

for market share and the establishment 

locations. But there are superordinated 

themes that people can collaborate together 

on. These are what we have been able 

to make the companies and the three state 

governments enthusiastic about. 

What role will the new ”Solarvalley Mitteldeutschland“ 

association play in this? 

Aulich: Its job is to co-ordinate and moderate. 

Winning the competition is great, but 

now the work needs to be done. There are 

certain milestones that have to be reached. 

In the field of training, too, which lies in the 

scope of responsibility of the federal states, 

we will have an influence on the focus of 

content. One further focus is upon the European 

networking of the cluster. 

What was the motivation behind the founding 

of the ”Solarvalley Mitteldeutschland“? 

Aulich: The decisive driving force behind 

this cluster is the industry itself. Companies 

face the challenge of being ever faster in 

the development and utilisation of innova- 



Interview 

Interview 


Dr. Jörg Bagdahn 

Studied materials at the Technische Universität 

Chemnitz before completing concluding 

studies as a European welding engineer. 

Following his doctorate at Martin 

Luther University Halle-Wittenberg and a 

two-year period spent in the USA he became 

head of the Micromechanical Components 

department at the Fraunhofer-Institut 

für Werkstoffmechanik IWM in Halle. He 

has been head of the Fraunhofer-Center 

für Silizium-Photovoltaik CSP since 2008. 


Is a Member of the Board of PV Crystalox 

Solar PLC. Following studies in physical 

chemistry at New York University, Dr. Aulich 

spent over fifteen years in the development 

of photovoltaics in various positions 

at Siemens AG and as Managing Director 

of Siemens Solar GmbH. In 1997 he joined 

forces with his partner Dr. Friedrich-Wilhelm 

Schulze to establish PV Silicon GmbH 

in Erfurt, later to become PV Crystalox Solar 

PLC. Dr. Aulich is spokesperson for the 

”Solarvalley Mitteldeutschland“ cluster. 

tions. If you look at the value added chain 

from silicon to silicon wafers, the cells and 

modules to the complete system, there is 

a range of interfaces that can still be optimised. 

The aim is to utilise these synergies. 

Because we aim to realise the theme 

of grid parity faster here than the rest of 

the world. 

What exactly does that term mean? 

Aulich: It means that private solar electricity 

producers are able to produce electricity 

at the same price as consumers pay for 

electricity from the major providers. In Germany 

we aim to achieve this by 2015. 

This will not mean that the photovoltaic 

electricity is as reasonable as that from 

coal or nuclear power stations, though … 

Aulich: No, we are not yet able to compete 

with base load prices of three to four cents 

per kilowatt hour. But this is not the price 

that you or I pay as consumers. That stands 

at around 17 to 20 cents. When that has 

been achieved and there is the additional 

over 20-year guarantee of feed-in remuneration 

under the Renewable Energies Act, 

then that is highly attractive from an economic 

viewpoint. 

But there is still some research to be done 

before that point is reached, is there not? 

Bagdahn: Yes, the current costs for solar 

electricity will have to be approximately 

halved. And that throughout the value 

added chain. This is why we are taking a 

number of different approaches in research. 

The development of more economical crystallisation 

techniques for the processing of 

silicon and the realisation of very thin wafers 

are just two examples. 

Aulich: Another important point can be 

found at the beginning of the value added 

chain. Until now, the PV sector has used 

silicon tailored for use in the microelectronics 

industry. However, such a high level 

of purity is unnecessary. In Bitterfeld our 

company, PV Crystalox Solar, will produce 

silicon of an adapted quality in the future, 

thus enabling the production of economical, 

highly efficient solar cells. There is also 

scope for optimisation at the end of the 

chain, in the transformation of the direct 

current into alternating current via inverters. 

What role will be played by the new 

Fraunhofer-Center für Silizium-Photovoltaik 

CSP, of which you are head? 

Bagdahn: As the largest research partner, 

the CSP is involved at many different 

points. At the Schkopau site a technology 

centre is being established in the Dow Chemical 

Valuepark, dedicated to the development 

and production of new synthetics. At 

the headquarters in the weinberg campus 

Technologiepark in Halle (Saale) the focus 

of our work will be upon the crystallisation 

of silicon. 

Why is the area of research and development 

so important? 

Aulich: The worldwide diffusion of a new 

technology occurs extremely quickly. This 

occurs, for example, via the plant constructors, 

who sell it around the world. This means 

that even a country that has invested 

little in research to date is rapidly capable 

of manufacturing competitively and at a 

reasonable price. Therefore, we always 

need to be one technological step ahead of 

the competition if we are to maintain our 

leading global position. 

Bagdahn: It is also of central importance 

to the region. A purely manufacturing location 

is scarcely able to survive in international 

competition. If the companies 

have their development departments and 

research partners here, then the location 

is also secured in the long term, regardless 

of whether companies shift individual production 

areas to other locations. 

What advantages do those involved gain 

from the co-operation within the cluster? 

Aulich: The aim is to divide up individual 

technological stages amongst the partners 

in order to achieve our goals more rapidly. 

One example: as one of the largest manufacturers 

of silicon wafers, at PV Crystalox 

Solar we work very closely with the 

colleagues from ersol and Sunways in the 

development of thinner, cheaper wafers. 

Following this, the solar cell manufacturers 

need to accommodate these from a technological 

viewpoint. These cells then need 

to be installed in modules at favourable prices 

and with a low breakage ratio. And for 

the finished modules the aim is to find new 

ways of integrating them into buildings. 

The result is better products, from which 

everyone can benefit. 

Why do you both believe in the success of 

photovoltaics? 

Aulich: After two years, the energy put into 

the manufacturing of the solar cells pays for 

itself. Then you have at least 23 years as a 

pure generator of energy. That is like having 

a car where the tank is always full. The 

great thing about it is that we do not need 

to wait for technological breakthroughs. 

We know what we have to do in the years 

to come and how to go about it. 

Bagdahn: In contrast to the separation of 

CO 2 in coal power plants and its uncertain 

storage as propagated by the major electricity 

producers. There isn’t even a pilot 

plant yet. Is this supposed to save the global 

climate? If so, then it would be better 

to invest the money in a functional, CO 2- 

free technology like photovoltaics. 


www.solarvalley.org; www.csp.fraunhofer.de and www.pvcrystalox.com 



Theme 

Theme 


Sunny outlook 

Almost one in five solar cells worldwide is produced in central Germany. The hi-tech cluster known as 

”Solarvalley Mitteldeutschland“ is intended to further develop the region's leading position. 



Theme 

Theme 


In 2001 Q-Cells SE started production at its Thalheim plant with a staff of only 19. Today, 2,300 people work are employed by the world's largest manufacturer of mono- and polycrystalline solar cells 

made from silicon. And the trend is continuing. 

Text: Katharina Kleinschmidt Photographs: ersol AG; Q-Cells SE; SCHOTT AG 

Lights, washing machine or TV – nobody 

can imagine what life without electricity 

would be like any more. Yet faced with 

global climate change and the discussion 

about where to finally dispose of nuclear 

waste, the question about where our energy 

should come from has become increasingly 

important. The awareness of the 

importance of renewable forms of energy 

encouraged a handful of pioneering solar 

enthusiasts in the 1990s to focus on solar 

power and on the region of central Germany. 

One of the pioneers of the photovoltaic 

industry was Q-Cells SE. Anton Milner, 

Reiner Lemoine, Paul Grunow and Holger 

Feist started producing solar cells from 

monocrystalline and polycrystalline silicon 

in 2001 with a staff of just 19 There were 

various reasons for choosing Thalheim, a 

district of Bitterfeld-Wolfen: plenty of free 

land for development that could be bought 

cheap, a large reservoir of qualified technical 

staff from the chemicals industry and 

committed politicians who were not afraid 

to take the bull by the horns. ”They pulled 

out all the stops“, remembers Milner, today 

CEO of Q-Cells SE, ”even if no one could 

have predicted the enormous growth of the 

industry“. Today, Thalheim (Middle High 

German for ”village in the valley“) has become 

the central pillar for ”Solarvalley Mitteldeutschland“. 

Over the last few years 

3,500 jobs have been created here, 2,300 

of which at Q-Cells SE alone. 

The journey from a simple grain of sand to 

a module that can convert sunlight into energy 

is long – and the magic word is silicon. 

The semi-metal is obtained from quartzose 

sand, then cast in blocks and cut into extremely 

thin slices, so-called wafers. 

The wafers are used to make solar cells, 

which are in turn made into solar modules. 

Silicon – wafers – cells – modules: the value 

chain with the light effects. 

One new development is the thin layer module 

where a layer of silicon only a few micrometres 

deep is deposited onto a bearer 

medium made from glass, copper or plastic. 

The small quantity of silicon or other 

semi-conductor material required make 

the modules extremely cheap to produce, 

”but their efficiency is generally below that 

of classical polycrystalline modules,“ adds 

Milner as a qualification. 

Q-Cells SE cooperates in a strategic alliance 

with several subsidiary companies over an 

area of some 4,500,000 sq m in Thalheim. 

These include Sovello AG, which has been 

producing wafers, solar cells and modules 

since 2006 and Sontor GmbH, which in the 

same year started developing silicon-based 

thin-layer technology into a production capacity 

of 24 MWp. Another subsidiary, Solibro 

GmbH, is also based in Thalheim and 

manufactures thin-layer modules without 

silicon. 

”Innovation is the key to the success of 

photovoltaics. Only companies that focus 

on research and development will be successful,“ 

says Dr Florian Holzapfel, Chief 

Technology Officer of Q-Cells SE, explaining 

the need to constantly break new 

ground. Just as co-operation happens locally 

in Thalheim, the solar industry in Saxony, 

Saxony-Anhalt and Thuringia forms a close 

network making up the hi-tech cluster of 

”Solarvalley Mitteldeutschland“. The aim 

of an alliance of 30 companies, ten research 

institutes and four universities is to establish 

this region of central Germany as the 

world's leading centre for solar technology. 

To achieve this objective, cluster members 

collaborate in the areas of research and 

development, vocational training and education 

as well as in setting up a network 

that spans all three states. ”This is where 

the solar sector has established a whole 

new industry that not only manufactures in 

the region but which is also managed from 

here“, emphasises André-Bastian Soudah, 

Cluster Manager at the Industrial Initiative 

for Central Germany. The 40 million euros 

made available to ”Solarvalley Mitteldeutschland“ 

as a result of its winning the 

Federal Research Ministry's competition to 

find the top hi-tech cluster will make further 

18 percent of all solar cells produced 

worldwide come from ”Solarvalley Mitteldeutschland“. 

strategic investment in the central German 

region possible. 

The companies making up the hi-tech cluster 

cover the complete value chain of the 

photovoltaic industry and have long been a 

major economic factor in the three federal 

states. SolarWorld AG with its five subsidiaries 

and a total of 1,000 employees in 

Freiberg (Saxony) has a large technological 

portfolio starting with the production of wa- 



Theme 

Theme 


At its headquarters in Erfurt in Thuringia, Solar Energy AG and its four subsidiaries manufacture 

poly- and monocrystalline silicon solar cells and thin-layer modules. 

By the end of 2008 production capacity should have increased to 180 MWp for wafers, to 220 

MWp in the manufacture of crystalline solar cells and to 40 MWp at ersol Thin Film. 

WACKER SCHOTT Solar GmbH, a joint venture of SCHOTT Solar GmbH and Wacker Chemie AG, produces extremely thin solar 

wafers from polycrystalline silicon at two factories in Jena. A third factory is currently being built. 

Source: Beirat der Bundesregierung für Globale Umweltveränderungen, Berlin 2003 

Annual energy consumption (EJ/a) 

Geothermics 

Other EE 

Solarthermics (heat) 

Solar electricity (PV and solarthermic) 

Forecast for share of energy sources in overall electricity generation. 

Wind 

Biomass (mod.) 

Biomass (trad.) 

Hydropower 

Nuclear energy 

Gas 

Coal 

Oil 

fers and reaching right through to complete 

roof systems. The subsidiaries include Deutsche 

Solar AG, one of the world's largest 

manufacturers of silicon wafers, and Deutsche 

Cell GmbH, which in August 2008 delivered 

the one hundred millionth solar cell 

produced in Freiberg. These cells alone have 

so far saved 1.6 million tonnes of CO 2. In 

the northwest of the central German region 

Malibu GmbH manufactures silicon-based 

thin-layer modules, at its Osterweddingen 

site, and Euroglas GmbH produces extrawhite 

float glass for use with photovoltaic 

technology. Euroglas GmbH will also be 

processing more than 400 tonnes of glass 

per day for the solar industry in Haldensleben 

from May 2009. 

Around 2,500 jobs have so far been created 

in the solar industry in Thuringia. In two 

years time, this figure is set to reach 5,000. 

Of the 800 million euros annual turnover, 

some 160 million is accounted for by ersol 

Solar Energy AG, a company belonging to 

the Bosch group that manufactures siliconbased 

photovoltaic products in Arnstadt 

and Erfurt. Besides PV Crystalox AG in Er- 

furt, a manufacturer of wafers, the shining 

examples of the industry in Thuringia include 

WACKER SCHOTT GmbH, a producer of 

wafers in Alzenau, and SCHOTT Solar Thin 

Film GmbH in Jena. And more are on the 

way: the ground-breaking ceremony for a 

new production facility, with investment 

amounting to 150 million euros from Masdar 

PV, providing 600 jobs took place near 

the Erfurt motorway intersection in August, 

while WACKER SCHOTT Solar is planning 

further wafer production in ”Jena plant 3“. 

In Thuringia, ”Solarinput e.V.“ has dedicated 

itself to the task of implementing the 

hi-tech cluster strategies under the umbrella 

of ”Solarvalley Mitteldeutschland“. The 

main aims of the association, which also 

campaigns for broader acceptance of solar 

energy among the general public, are the 

promotion of new talent and the transfer of 

knowledge and technology from research 

to commercial companies. 

In all this, as Cluster Manager André Soudah 

maintains, the ”support and the excellent 

cooperation of the three state governments 

in promoting the solar industry 

is one of the success factors of ”Solarvalley 

Mitteldeutschland“. In addition, the hitech 

clusters benefit from each other across 

state boundaries. ”There are many points 

of contact between the microelectronics 

industry and the solar sector and joint benefits 

come from synergies and the development 

of new technologies“. 

One of the industry's biggest challenges is 

the availability of silicon. Three companies, 

including Scheuten Solar World Silizium in 

Using the raw material silicon economically 

reduces the costs of solar power. 

Freiberg, are planning to start silicon production 

and will thus close the last gap in 

the value chain. 

One possibility of using this valuable raw 

material more economically is the application 

of thin layer technology.. Another answer 

is the patented technology with which 

Sovello Wafer manufactures silicon. This involves 

drawing two wires through liquid silicon. 

Thanks to surface tension, a thin layer 

is produced - a so-called string ribbon wafer 

- without any loss due to the sawing process. 

New kinds of thin-layer modules do 

not require any silicon at all, using copper 

indium gallium selenide (CIGS) instead. 

Companies like Solibro GmbH or Solarion 

AG in Leipzig already work with these technologies. 

And Solarworld, with its business 

SolarMaterial in Freiberg, and ersol in Erfurt 

do what has been normal practice with paper 

and glass for years. An increasing share 

of the demand for silicon can be covered 

through recycling. 

This also supports the aim of further reducing 

the costs for solar electricity and making 

it competitive compared to conventionally 

produced electricity by achieving grid 

parity by 2015. Achieving this will be a milestone 

and will also lead to further positive 

effects on the job market. Experts forecast 

that the central German solar industry could 

employ up to 50,000 people by 2020. Calling 

out to the younger generation, Anton 

Milner from Q-Cells SE says, ”Today, there 

are 200 vacancies in Thalheim waiting for 

applicants“. The prospects for ”Solarvalley 

Mitteldeutschland“ therefore remain sunny. 


www.solarvalley.org 



thin-layer technology 

thin-layer technology 


Solibro GmbH benefits at the Thalheim location from the excellent infrastructure and from the synergies arising from the close cooperation 

with other companies in the photovoltaic industry that are situated here. 

The CIGS thin-layer modules, developed in Sweden and manufactured in Thalheim, have won over customers not just because of their high level of efficiency but also because of their aesthetic, highquality 

surfaces that make them suitable for integration into facades. 

The elegant solution 

Uniform jet-black surfaces make the CIGS modules from Solibro GmbH ideal for the architecturally 

demanding integration with facades and roofs. 

Text: Katharina Kleinschmidt Photographs: Solibro GmbH 

Visionaries see a photovoltaic system on 

every building in the not too distant future. 

The question of aesthetics and the possibility 

of optically integrating photovoltaic 

systems will then play an increasingly important 

role. Solibro GmbH in Thalheim has 

already developed elegant, design-oriented 

thin-layer modules that have won over the 

The elements copper, indium and gallium 

and the semi-conductor selenium have given 

their name to the new technology. 

hearts of architects. Especially since the 

CIGS technology used wins hands down 

with regards to efficiency. Around eleven 

percent of the incident energy can be 

transformed into electricity, currently the 

highest efficiency level for thin-layer-based 

modules. A two-μm thin layer of CIGS, 25 

times thinner than a human hair, is the core 

element and the photovoltaic substance of 

the modules. The material is applied to a 

bearer medium made of metal and sealed 

with a layer of zinc oxide. Since silicon, the 

classic solar material, is not used, there is 

no dependence on this raw material, which 

is becoming scarcer on the world market. 

Research into CIGS modules is being conducted 

at the University of Uppsala, and 

they are being prepared for industrial-scale 

production by the Swedish company Solibro 

Research AB. In 2006, a far-reaching 

decision was taken that brought together 

the Swedes with their technical expertise 

and Q-Cells SE in Thalheim to form Solibro 

GmbH as a joint venture. ”25 years 

of experience with development and pro- 

found knowledge of production are the 

basis for the rapid launch of series production“ 

says Dr. Lars Stolt, Chief Technical 

Officer (CTO), and Dr. Johannes Segner, 

Chief Operating Officer (COO) of Solibro 

GmbH. Q-Cells SE, with a 67.5 % stake 

contributes industrial and economic structures 

and five years of experience in the 

”We are encountering strong interest in 

the market and have already sold a large 

proportion of production.“ 

international solar market to the union. 

This was Dr. Johannes Segner's initial positive 

summing up in summer 2008 when 

the first modules were delivered. Today, 

production capacity is somewhere around 

30 MWp (megawatt peak). It is intended 

to increase market share by extending the 

current factory to 45 MWp and by building 

a new production hall with a capacity 

of 90 MWp. An investment of 165 million 

euros will result in 250 new jobs and the 

largest CIGS PV module production facility 

in the world over the next two years. The 

schedule could hardly be tighter: following 

construction start in November 2008, the 

roof frame was completed in December, 

and production should begin in summer 

2009. The first modules should be leaving 

the new factory by the end of the year. 

”This will secure the company's future in a 

rapidly expanding market and competitive 

environment,“ explains Dr. Segner. 

Solibro GmbH is to a large extent dependent 

on sharing the infrastructure that is 

available in Thalheim and on close cooperation 

with photovoltaic companies that 

are located there. These were two decisive 

factors for setting up the company at the 

core location of ”Solarvalley Mitteldeutschland“. 

The advantages of Thalheim include not 

just the joint company canteen, coordinated 

logistics and shared company doctor 

services. Use is also made of synergies in 

173 staff with eleven trainees work in the 

factory in Thalheim, and there are more 

than 20 local suppliers. 

research and development, in recruitment, 

in the training and further education of 

employees as well as in sales and marketing. 

Another promising partnership for the 

future is being established with Saxony's 

university of cooperative education with 

a degree course in ”service engineering“. 

This is particularly interesting for Solibro 

because this means that qualified employees 

can train on site. They will be urgently 

sought once the new factory opens. It is 

intended to intensify research and development 

activities with the expansion of 

production. Increasing the size of the team 

will allow more technological innovations 

to be rapidly incorporated into the production 

process. 

The constant improvement in production efficiency 

and their effectiveness will make CIGS 

modules even more attractive. It will than be 

only a question of time until the visionaries 

are proven right and solar technology becomes 

a permanent feature of construction 

planning. Solibro is already equipped for this. 


www.solibro-solar.com 



RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT 




and the shadows will be behind you. ”In the photovoltaic field, central Germany is the technology and 

innovation leader.“ 






Solarvalley Mitteldeutschland e.V. i.G. 

Members from 

Saxony-Anhalt 

Members from Thuringia 

Members from Saxony 

Cluster Board 

. Dr. Hubert Aulich, 

Chairman (Director of 

PV Crystalox Solar), 

. Dr. Florian Holzapfel 

(CTO, Q-Cells) 

. Dr. Bernd Rau (CTO, 

Roth & Rau) 

. Dr. Claus Beneking 

(CEO, ersol) 

. Dr. Jörg Bagdahn 

(Head of Fraunhofer CSP) 

. Prof. Alexander Michaelis 

(Head of Fraunhofer IKTS) 

. Dr. Peter Frey 

(Director, CIS) 

. Dr. Sieghard Flohr 

(State of Saxony-Anhalt) 

. Thomas Müller 

(Free State of Thuringia) 

. Peter Kötschau 

(Free State of Saxony) 

Office 

later: Clustermanagement Gesellschaft gGmbH 

Wirtschaftinitiative 

für Mitteldeutschland 

. Co-ordination 

– job exchange 


Marketing 

State of Saxony-Anhalt 

Association in the 

course of formation 


Saxony-Anhalt 

. Further training 

engineers and scientists 

Free State of Thuringia 

SolarInput 

. Co-ordination Thuringia 

. Training/further training 

of skilled workers 

Co-ordination body 

Training and 

further training 

Saxony-Anhalt, 

Saxony, Thuringia 

Free State of Saxony 

eesa 

. Co-ordination Saxony 

. Support with 

EU applications 

Project management 

Start project 1 

xµ-Material 


xµ-Cells 


xµ-Modules 

Projects 4-21 

R&D 

. Associated projects 

Utilisation 

. Own utilisation 

. Joint venture 

. Licencing (in) 

. Licencing (out) 

Source: Spitzenclusterinitiative Solarvalley Mitteldeutschland 

The Fraunhofer Institut für Werkstoffmechanik IWM and the Fraunhofer Institut für Solare Energiesysteme ISE are bundling their competencies in the new Fraunhofer Center für Silizium-Photovoltaik CSP 

to form a globally unique crytallisation and materials analysis centre for silicon. 

An overview of the hi-tech cluster ”Solarvalley Mitteldeutschland“ 

Text: Thomas Magosch Photographs: Rainer Weisflog; Fraunhofer-Center für Silizium-Photovoltaik CSP; Q-Cells SE 

Each day the sun provides us with an 

amount of energy that would meet the 

world's energy needs for eight years. Figures 

like these never fail to impress and 

show the potential of the photovoltaic 

industry. And the market for systems that 

generate electricity through solar energy 

is currently growing at an annual rate of 

35 %. However, the consensus in specialist 

reports is that the cost-benefit ratio must 

still fall considerably before widespread use 

of solar energy is possible. The development 

of new technologies plays a key role 

in this. 

Research affects all points of the value chain. 

Starting with materials and optimised production 

processes, it covers different concepts 

of solar cells, energy converters and 

finishes with solutions for recycling. One of 

the world's most important centres of research 

is situated in central Germany. Reiner 

Haseloff, Saxony-Anhalt's economics 

minister, goes as far as to say that ”Central 

Germany is the technology and innovation 

leader in the photovoltaic field“. Three striking 

components underscore this: a broad 

base in training and research, a diversified 

corporate structure and the long-termism 

The ”solar plexus“ of research is grouped 

in the hi-tech cluster ”Solarvalley Mitteldeutschland“ 

primarily around the Fraunhofer 

Institutes in Halle, Dresden and Freiberg. 

of the state governments and ministries, 

which make public money available to 

support renewable energy from research 

through to market launch. 

The latter, the Fraunhofer Technologiezentrum 

Halbleitermaterialien (THM - 

technology centre for semi-conductors) 

in Freiberg, Saxony, is co-operating with 

the Technische Universität Bergakademie 

Freiberg (Freiberg university of mining and 

technology) within the framework of the 

hi-tech cluster in order to improve the material 

quality of polycrystalline silicon. Dr. 

Jochen Friedrich, one of the two directors 

of the THM explains, ”This is intended to 

bring the efficiency of solar cells made from 

this material up to the level of solar cells 

made from higher quality, but more expensive, 

monocrystalline silicon“. 

At the same time it is intended to further 

cut the costs for the manufacture of monocrystalline 

silicon with the aid of numerical 

simulation and using measurement technology. 

Dr. Stefan Schweizer came to the Center 

for Silicon and Photovoltaic (CSP) in Halle 

(Saale) as part of the ”Fraunhofer attract“ 

programme. Besides the funding, which 

makes it possible to work effectively, he 

particularly values the possibilities for networking 

between the university and re- 

search institutions on the ”weinberg campus“. 

A maximum of 2.5 million euros has 

been made available to the research group 

over a funding period of five years for them 

to bring their ideas to market in the form 

of applications. Schweizer, a professor of 

physics, wishes to increase the efficiency 

of solar cells by using special covering glass 

Scientists at the Fraunhofer Institute in 

Freiberg are working to increase the efficiency 

of polycrystalline silicon. 

and rear-side coating. The wavelength of 

incident light should be modified in such a 

way that a broader spectrum can be used 

to generate energy. 

Engineers have been striving to increase the 

efficiency of silicon cells for years in order to 

generate more electricity from the sun. But 

they have always run up against the limits 

of nature: silicon can only utilise the visible 

part of the solar spectrum – a solar cell is, as 

it were, ”blind“ to ultraviolet and infrared 

radiation. This is the starting point for the 

research group. Schweizer's department 

will cooperate closely with the Fraunhofer- 

Institut für Werkstoffmechanik (IWM - materials 

mechanics), the Max-Planck-Institut 

für Mikrostrukturphysik (MPI - microstructure 

physics ) and the Martin Luther University 

in Halle-Wittenberg (MLU). 

Next to the Fraunhofer Institut für angewandte 

Optik und Feinmechanik (IOF - 

applied optics and precision engineering), 

the Institut für Photonische Technologien 

(IPHT - photonic technologies) is one of 

the top research institutes in Jena, Thuringia. 

Work is being conducted here on plastic 

solar cells made from organic polymers 

together with the Institut für Angewandte 

Physik (applied physics) of the University of 

Jena. They are still cheaper to produce but 

where efficiency is concerned, they lag far 

behind ”inorganic“ cells, i.e. those made 

from silicon. However, that should change 

soon. ”We are combining polymers with silicon 

nano-wires, an idea that is completely 

new“, explains Dr. Fritz Falk, Director of 

the Department of Photonic Silicon at the 

Solar cells have always been ”blind“ to ultraviolet 

light. Researchers wish to change 

this and thereby increase the efficiency. 

IPHT. Using nano-wires increases the area 

of the solar cell by a factor of a hundred 

when compared with even substrata. The 

mats of nano-wires function as ideal light 

traps. All incident light can be absorbed 

with mats that are only 1/300 mm thick. 

Falk hopes, ”in the first phase of development 

we will be able to increase the efficiency 

to around 8 %“. The current level of 

efficiency is around 5 %. 

The partners in the ”INNOCIS“ research 






3 Questions to 

Dr. Peter Frey, member of the Board of Directors at CIS Forschungsinstitut für Mikrosensorik und Photovoltaik 

GmbH and board member of CIS e.V. in Erfurt. 

Text: Thomas Magosch Photographs: CIS Institut 

Federal environmental minister Sigmar Gabriel, Annegret Jatzkewitz, the widow of Reiner Lemoine, who died in 2006, and Anton 

Milner, CEO of Q-Cells SE at t he opening ceremony of the Reiner Lemoine Research Centre in Thalheim. 

network in Leipzig, Chemnitz and Dresden 

are concentrating on the areas of analytics, 

materials research and surface modification. 

One of the things that is currently 

being developed at the Leibniz-Institut für 

Oberflächenmodifizierung e.V. (IOM-Leipzig 

- surface modification) is a new type of 

protective layer for flexible solar cells. 

”I don't give a damn about the commercial 

side - let's do something right.“ 

”I don't give a damn about the commercial 

side - let's do something right.“ This statement 

by Reiner Lemoine, the co-founder 

of Q-Cells SE, who died in 2006, has become 

legendary. The pioneering work of 

the visionary Lemoine, who in his earlier 

engineering collective with the brilliant 

name of ”Wuseltronik“ (something like 

”bustletronics“) designed such great products 

as the ”Wumm“ and ”Wuwickel“, is 

inextricably linked to the beginnings of the 

photovoltaic industry in central Germany. 

A research centre was recently dedicated in 

Thalheim that bears his name and which 

is financed by Q-Cells SE, the company 

that he founded. A variable production line 

under clean-room conditions has been installed 

as part of the 50 million euro project 

where new cell concepts in particular can 

be tested. 

The first successes can already be reported 

- the pilot line is already working a fourshift 

operation. Besides production, the 

approximately 250 scientists at Q-Cells 

SE can also use various laboratories and a 

module centre in the new research centre. 

The slogan of the first solar company that 

Reiner Lemoine founded, ”Solon“, was 

”Don't leave the planet stupid.“ Everything 

is being done in the research and development 

departments of the German photovoltaic 

industry to move the planet on. 

10% 

12% 

4% 

Germany 

Spain 

Japan 

13% 

12% 

Total ~ 2250 MWp 

USA 

Rest of Europe 

Rest of world 

Global market share in the photovoltaic industry 2007 

49% 

Source: Spitzenclusterinitiative Solarvalley Mitteldeutschland 

1. Your institute is concerned with practice-related 

research in the photovoltaic 

industry. What is the current focus of your 

work? 

Our focus is in the field of silicon-based, 

crystalline photovoltaics. The central issue 

is increasing the efficiency of solar cells. To 

achieve this, new designs for high-performance 

solar cells must be optimised and 

integrated into the production processes. 

What is important for us is process stability 

and the reliability and durability of the products. 

We are also investigating how the 

cell can best ”capture“ the light and to this 

end are improving the optical and electronic 

characteristics, in particular at the boundary 

layers. What interests the customer is the 

”electricity crop“ over the solar modules' 

life-cycle, which for quality products is nowadays 

guaranteed to be at least 25 years. 

We want to understand what happens 

with innovations during practical use. For 

this reason we have set up a testing centre 

with TÜV Thüringen (technical inspection 

body) where solar modules are exposed to 

e.g. extreme climatic conditions in order to 

simulate long-term behaviour. In addition, 

industrial customers can obtain certification 

for their products from us. 

2. Which companies do you co-operate 

with in this and how attractive is the research 

location for your work? 

The location is ideal. We offer research 

ourselves, but we also cooperate with the 

Technical University in Ilmenau in the area 

of analytics and with the Institute for Photonic 

Technologies (IPHT) in Jena in the 

field of thin-layer photovoltaics. This environment 

allows us strong growth of around 

30-40 % per year, just like the industry. Our 

aim is to be a support for industrial research 

in the region by concentrating our research 

subjects on those points in the solar value 

chain that are critical for success. And the 

conditions for this are very good. Besides 

the institutes already mentioned, we conduct 

research together with industrial partners, 

for example PV Silicon Forschungsund 

Produktions AG and ersol Solar Energy 

AG here in this location. 

3. What perspectives do you associate 

with your engagement in the "Solarvalley 

Mitteldeutschland" hi-tech cluster? 

The aim must be for us to become an internationally 

outstanding solar region through 

cooperation throughout the region. The 

concentration in central Germany of different 

companies from all fields along the 

value chain does not exist anywhere else in 

the world. We want to extend out current 

technological leadership even further. This 

leading position is no reason to rest on our 

laurels, and measures such as the Renewable 

Energy Act that forces us to manufacture 

products 10 % more cheaply each year 

represent an opportunity for us. Regional 

cooperation will enable us to guarantee the 

extraordinary long-term high quality and 

durability of solar products that are being 

researched and produced today in central 

Germany. 

Dr. Peter Frey 

after graduating in physics was awarded a 

doctorate in the field of quantum optics. In 

addition to his many years of research in 

the field of material and plasma technology, 

he also works in research management 

and innovation consulting. Among other 

things, Dr. Frey has been responsible for 

building up the Erfurt Solar Centre since 

2005. 

Further information www.csp.fraunhofer.de; www.fep.fraunhofer.de; 

www.innocis.de; www.reiner-lemoine-stiftung.de and www.weinbergcampus.de 


www.cismst.de 



TRAINING AND FURTHER TRAINING 



The experts of tomorrow 

Universities and the solar industry in central Germany are collaborating on new forms of vocational 

training and further education in order to meet the increased demand for specialists. 






Since 2007 the SolarWorld-Foundation has aided research at the Faculty of Chemistry and Physics at the TU Bergakademie Freiberg. 

Future researchers are being trained in the ”Photovoltaics“ working group at the Friedrich Schiller University of Jena. 

Text: Martina Zentner Photographs: Hochschule Anhalt (FH); TU Bergakademie Freiberg; Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena 

Professor Henry Bergmann from the University 

of Applied Sciences in Anhalt 

Köthen knows that ”Dynamic growth 

needs qualified manpower“. Managers 

trying to find new staff turn to him in their 

desperation. The solar industry is booming 

in central Germany, but the supply of well 

trained specialists will not keep pace with 

demand in the foreseeable future due to 

rapid growth. Companies and universities 

in the region are responding to this by 

jointly initiating new degree courses and 

opportunities to qualify further. 

In the past there was no single degree 

course focusing exclusively on training specialists 

for the solar industry. Since October 

2008 there have been two degree courses 

that train photovoltaic engineers. Both are 

at universities of applied sciences in central 

Germany and both were developed in clo- 

se collaboration with the solar industry. The 

focus of training is currently clearly upon 

preparing managers and developers for the 

Students at the Anhalt University of Applied 

Sciences in Köthen learn both theory 

and practice. 

solar industry. However, specialisation for 

physicists in the area of research and development 

is also pursued. 

With its degree course in ”Solar technology“, 

the Anhalt University of Applied Sciences 

in Köthen offers a sandwich course 

of studies that combines both theoretical 

instruction at the university with 5 weeks 

of practical work placement each semester. 

In addition to basic courses such as ”Introduction 

to photovoltaics“ and ”Basic physical 

principles of photovoltaics“, students 

must start specialising in the first two semesters. 

Production-related subjects such 

as the manufacture of silicon, solar cells and 

solar modules come later. Professor Henry 

Bergmann sees the advantage in the students' 

high level of motivation: ”They have 

a contract of employment from day one, 

they earn money and are integrated into 

work processes.“ Currently there are two 

partners who support the degree course: 

Q-Cells SE and the Fraunhofer Institut CSP 

in Halle. The 18 students who began in the 

winter semester will graduate after six semesters 

with a bachelor's degree. Torsten 

Büchner is one of them. He hopes for a job 

in an industry with a bright future. ”In my 

work I would like to advance technologies 

that are really needed“, explains the 19 

year-old. 

The bachelor's degree course ”Photovoltaic 

and semi-conductor technologies“ at the 

University of Applied Sciences in Jena was 

also planned in close cooperation with solar 

companies such as ersol Solar Energy and 

Schott Solar. The Carl Zeiss Foundation ultimately 

decided to set up a foundation professorship. 

No appointment has yet been 

made, but the degree course was launched 

in October with 45 students. This is no 

problem for the Dean, Professor Andreas 

Schleicher: ”Specialised courses will not be 

taking place until the later semesters.“ He 

views ”specialisation in technological processes“ 

to be the distinctive feature of the 

degree course. The advantage for the students 

in Jena is the close cooperation with 

the Technical University in Ilmernau. From 

2009 onwards a master's programme will 

be offered in ”Photovoltaics“ for the fields 

of semi-conductor materials, cells, modules 

and manufacturing technology. It will be 

open to graduates from Jena. The foundation 

professorship in ”Photovoltaics“ at the 

University of Halle-Wittenberg, the chair 

of ”Solid state physics“ and the ”Photovoltaics“ 

working group at the University 

of Jena as well as the ”SolarWorld Foundation“ 

at the Bergakademie in Freiberg all 

support the training of future researchers. 

Besides these new training opportunities, 

a further area of focus is the short-term 

professional qualification of specialists. The 

foundations for this will be laid, among 

other things, in the form of the Bildungswerk 

für berufsbezogene Aus- und Weiterbildung 

Thüringen (Thuringian institute 

for vocational training and education). 

Research has been conducted here since 

2007 as part of the FasiPho project for vocational 

and educational training to retain 

skilled workers.Q-Cells SE has created further 

possibilities of qualifying its employees 

in its training centre that it opened in November. 

Training researchers of the future is a decisive 

factor for the future competitiveness 

of the industry. 

It can therefore be said that the prospects 

for young people entering the solar industry 

are excellent. Even so, according to 

Professor Berthold Bley developing new 

talent does not begin just at university. In 

the Solar-Dorf Kettmannshausen e.V. (solar 

village) his colleagues introduce school 

students to the subject of photovoltaics: 

”This allows us to introduce the subject systematically 

at an early stage“ according to 

Professor Bley. 


www.fh-jena.de; www.tu-ilmenau.de; www.hs-anhalt.de; www.tu-freiberg.de; www.uni-jena.de; www.uni-halle.de and www.solardorf.de 



SERVICE PROVIDERS 



Optimal value added 

Service providers and systems suppliers in the photovoltaic industry are also working on new technologies to 

make solar power more efficient. One subject for the future is photovoltaic elements integrated into buildings. 

Source: Spitzenclusterinitiative 

Solarvalley Mitteldeutschland 

Text: Thomas Magosch Photographs: SMA Solar Technology AG; Roth & Rau AG 

Even the Vatican moved a little closer to the 

sun on 25 November 2008. Or vice versa, 

depending on your point of view. The Pope 

now also lives with solar electricity, as the 

Vatican's first solar plant has been put into 

operation on the roof of the audience hall 

immediately next to St. Peter's Basilica. In 

order to make use of solar energy, solar 

plants require a special heart, the so-called 

power inverter. These devices convert the 

direct current produced in the solar cell into 

alternating current. 2,394 of these devices 

were installed in the Vatican by SMA Solar 

Technologie AG of Niestetal. 

The company is technology and market leader 

in the field of inverters and a member 

of the hi-tech cluster ”Solarvalley Mitteldeutschland“. 

The purpose of SMA's developments 

is the conversion of direct current 

originating in the solar cell into alternating 

current with a bare minimum of loss. Ten 

years ago inverters were produced with 

approximately 94 % efficiency. Today the 

”Sunny Boys“, the product line name, are 

almost reaching the limit of what is physically 

possible with a conversion rate of 

98%. Flexibility is the overriding principle in 

the manufacture of the devices, which leave 

the Technologie AG factory at a rate of one 

every 30 seconds. The little red boxes can 

be installed in any solar plant all over the 

world independent of the type of module. 

In 2007, the company, which was founded 

in 1981, generated sales of around EUR 

330 million with its approximately 2,600 

employees. 

A further important role in making solar power 

cheaper to generate is played by Roth 

& Rau AG in Hohenstein-Ernstthal, also a 

member of the hi-tech cluster. Complete 

Thin-film Si technology 

Glass Coating Module 

Silicon Crystallisation Wafer Cell Module 

Value added chain in the photovoltaic industry 

Inverters with an efficiency rate of 98 % 

are almost reaching the limit of what is 

physically possible. 

Crystalline Si technology 

production lines for solar cells and plasma 

technologies for thin-layer modules are developed 

and built in Karl May's town of birth. 

With its 650 employees, Roth & Rau is 

market leader in the field of plasma process 

systems for photovoltaics. Its global market 

share is around 40 %. The coating systems 

are ”state-of-the-art“ technology. Passivation 

is a co-determinant and indispensable 

factor in achieving high efficiency in a solar 

cell. Roth & Rau's innovative coating system 

results in an increase of almost 10 %. 

Since June 2008, a partner in plant construction 

has been AIS Automation GmbH in 

Dresden with its approx. 180 staff. AIS has 

been working in factory and production for 

the solar, semi-conductor and automotive 

industries for 18 years and, with the development 

of control systems and host interfaces, 

has unbeatable products for the solar 

industry. The company is working in the 

hi-tech cluster ”Solarvalley Mitteldeutschland“ 

as a software developer together with 

the Fraunhofer Institut für Elektronenstrahlund 

Plasmatechnik FEP (electron beam and 

plasma technology) and VON ARDENNE 

Anlagentechnik GmbH on the project ”Surface 

modification using electron beams“. 

Jeanett Schnabel, assistant to the R&D Director 

assesses the cooperation as follows: 

”The work has very positive consequences. 

Numerous contacts are made and mutual 

support is important. The project has perspectives“. 

So far solar plants have been located mainly 

on roofs or in solar parks. However, the 

future will bring completely new forms of 

structural integration of solar plants. BIPV 

(building integrated photovoltaics) is the 

System 

technology 

Building 

integration 

catchword for this small but growing market. 

”The perspectives are there“, confirms 

Jürgen Dressler, an energy technology engineer 

at Solarwatt AG in Dresden, which 

fitted the roof of the new BMWWelt (BMW 

world) in Munich with an innovative solar 

concept. It is already possible today to integrate 

photovoltaic systems into buildings in 

innovative and aesthetically pleasing ways 

using crystalline modules, solar tiles or PV 

roofing foil capable of being integrated. 

Building-integrated photovoltaics could 

become a real mass product in the near 

future. 

The advantages are obvious: besides the 

multiple and innovative use of surfaces, the 

property gains in value and there are image 

benefits through the use of advanced technology. 

According to Jürgen Dressler, ”BIPV 

will remain at its most innovative in Germany. 

The impulses will originate from here in 

future, too.“ 

The roof of the audience hall in the Vatican 

can only be seen from above. But perhaps 

a couple of collectors will soon be gracing 

the roof of the Frauenkirche in Dresden, the 

New Town Hall in Leipzig or the cathedral in 

Merseburg, if monument protection regulations 

allow this. Unobtrusive, but pointing 

the way into the future in the direction of 

the sun, with equipment and expertise from 

”Solarvalley Mitteldeutschland“. 


www.roth-rau.de; www.ais-automation.com; 

www.solarwatt.de and www.sma.de 

SMA's ”sunny boys“ convert direct current from the solar cells into alternating current almost without any loss. 

Roth & Rau AG develops and produces complete production lines for solar cells. 



Did you know? 

Last but not least 

Facts that are curious, remarkable and worth knowing on the subject of solar energy – cost-free energy 

in abundance, a papal blessing and a groundbreaking invention almost 170 years ago. 

... that in a single day the sun sends 15,000 

times more energy to the earth than we 

use worldwide? 

Each year the sun provides around 

1,080,000,000,000,000,000 (in words: 

one quintillion eighty quadrillion) kilowatt 

hours of radiant energy. By contrast, only 

50 minutes of sunshine would be sufficient 

to cover the primary energy requirements 

of the world's population (currently standing 

at around six and a half billion people) 

for a whole year. The sun has two unbeatable 

advantages in comparison to the finite 

and increasingly expensive resources of the 

fossil fuels coal, oil and gas. Firstly, it is assumed 

that the body at the centre of our 

solar system has been sending out its bright 

light for the last five billion years. Furthermore, 

it is also assumed that it is likely to 

continue to do so for at least as long again. 

And the very best thing about this is that 

the sun does not send a bill. 

Publishing credits 

... that even Pope Benedict XVI. generates 

his electricity from the power of the sun 

with a photovoltaic system? 

The solar plant installed on the papal audience 

hall in the Vatican is a present from 

SolarWorld AG. The approximately 2,000 

SolarWorld modules were installed on the 

roof of the ”Aula Paolo VI" audience hall in 

summer 2008 and supply the very first solar 

power generated in the Vatican, around 

315,500 kilowatt hours (kWh) p.a. According 

to SolarWorld, this saves around 315 

tonnes of CO 2 . The company's engineers 

replaced the existing concrete panels on 

the southern side of the arched roof with 

modules that the company had produced 

specially. The solar modules fit in with the 

structure's form as it spreads out in the shape 

of a fan from north to south. The special 

undulating structure and the aesthetics of 

the roof at the foot of St. Peter's Basilika 

thus remain thus. 

... that the history of the solar cell began 

with a discovery almost 170 years ago? 

Alexandre Edmond Becquerel recognised 

the photovoltaic effect in 1839. He dipped 

two platinum electrodes into an acid bath 

and thus at first only had a battery. He then 

separated the electrodes and subjected one 

to light while the other remained in the 

shade. 

He then found that more current could be 

drawn from the battery when the sun was 

shining but he could not explain how this 

effect worked. In 1949 William B. Shockley, 

Walther H. Brattain and John Bardeen 

discovered the ”p-n-junction“, which is the 

basis for the construction of a solar cell in 

its current form. 

In 1954 the first solar cell was produced by 

Bell, an American company. However, this 

only had about a 5 % level of efficiency. 

In 1958 the first solar cells were tested on 

satellites for the first time. 

JS KB KB 

mitte I punkt, Issue 3, December 2008 Published by Industrial Initiative for Central Germany, Steibs Hof, Nikolaistraße 28-32, 

04109 Leipzig, Tel.: +49 341/600 16-0, Fax: +49 341/600 16-13, E-Mail: info@mitteldeutschland.com, Web: www.mitteldeutschland.com 

In cooperation with the Saxony Triangle Metropolitan Area, Office, Annaberger Str. 89, 09120 Chemnitz, Tel.: +49 371/488 61 35, Fax: 

+49 371/488 61 95, E-Mail: info@region-sachsendreieck.de, Web: www.region-sachsendreieck.de Production AB-Creativ – Agentur für 

Text und Bild, Regine Aselmann & Kai Bieler GbR, Stallbaumstraße 11, 04155 Leipzig, Tel.: +49 341/59166-09/10, Fax: +49341/4624308, 

E-Mail: post@abcreativ.de, Web: www.abcreativ.de Chief editor Kai Bieler, E-Mail: k.bieler@abcreativ.de Editorial Katharina Kleinschmidt, 

Thomas Magosch, Jessica Schöberlein, Martina Zentner Art direction & layout Astrid Stieler, E-Mail: layout@abcreativ.de Translation IN- 

TER.CONNECT SPRACHEN Printer Druckerei Vetters GmbH & Co. KG 

The production and distribution of the magazine mitte I punkt was funded by the states of Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt and Thuringia as part of 

the project Saxony Triangle Metropolitan Area with the participation of the Industrial Initiative for Central Germany. 

Issue 3 | December 2008 34 

Picture credits: fotolia.com; SolarWorld 

AG; www.digimedia.ru 

PRODUCERS RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT 

01 Fraunhofer-CSP Center for Silicon-Photovoltaic 

www.csp.fraunhofer.de 

01 Malibu GmbH & Co. KG 

www.malibu-solar.de 

The Central German Solar Region 

02 MPI Max Planck Institute of Microstructure Physics 

www.mpi-halle.mpg.de 

02 fglass GmbH 

www.fglass.de 

Overview of photovoltaic companies in the region 

Karte in Pfade 

Ostrud te dit ad dolorperatet loreet la 

03 MLU Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg 

www.uni-halle.de 

03 Euroglas GmbH 

www.euroglas.com 

04 Interdisciplinary Center of Materials Science 

www.cmat.uni-halle.de 

04 CSG Solar AG 

www.csgsolar.com 

05 IKTR Institute for Synthetics Technology and Recycling 

www.iktr-online.de 

05 Sovello AG 

www.sovello.com 

06 CiS Institut für Mikrosensorik GmbH 

www.cismst.de 

06 Heraeus Quarzglas GmbH & Co. KG 

www.heraeus-quarzglas.com 

07 TUI Ilmenau University of Technology 

www.tu-ilmenau.de 

07 Q-Cells AG 

www.q-cells.com 

08 Fraunhofer-Institut for Applied Optics and Precision Engineering 

www.iof.fraunhofer.de 

08 Sontor GmbH 

www.sontor.de 

09 INNOCIS network 

www.innocis.de 

09 Jonas & Redmann 

www.jr-photovoltaics.com 

10 TUBA Technische Universität Bergakademie Freiberg 

www.tu-freiberg.de 

10 Sawate Saphire Wafer Technologie GmbH 

www.sawate.com 

11 Fraunhofer-THM Technology Centre for Semiconductor Materials 

www.thm.fraunhofer.de 

11 ersol Solar Energy AG 

www.ersol.de 

12 Fraunhofer-FEP Institut for Electron and Plasma Technology 

www.fep.fraunhofer.de 

12 PV Crystalox Solar GmbH 

www.pvcrystalox.com 

13 Fraunhofer-IKTS Institut for Ceramic Technologies and Systems 

www.ikts.fraunhofer.de 

13 PV Silicon Forschungs- und Produktions AG 

www.pvsilicon.com 

Magdeburg 

14 Fraunhofer-IWS Institut for Material and Beam Technology 

www.iws.fraunhofer.de 

14 Sunways Production GmbH 

www.sunways.de 

01 02 03 

36 

15 TUD Technische Universität Dresden 

www.tu-dresden.de 

15 asola Advanced and 

Automotive Solar Systems GmbH 

www.asola-power.com 

12 

13 

14 

15 

16 

29 

30 

37 

38 

07 

08 

09 

Saxony-Anhalt 

16 FZD Research Centre Dresden-Rossendorf e.V. 

www.fzd.de 

16 Masdar PV 

www.masdarpv.com 

31 

32 

33 

Köthen 


17 Fresnel Optics GmbH 

www.fresnel-optics.de 

01 

04 05 06 07 08 09 01 

01 Solar Technology at the Anhalt University of Applied Sciences 

Bachelor course WS 2009/2010; www.hs-anhalt.de 

18 PVA Tepla AG/CGS 

www.cgs-gmbh.de 

Bitterfeld/Wolfen Torgau 

Berga 

35 

Halle 

06 

28 

Leipzig 

Nünchritz 

Saxony 

Apolda Mochau 

Dresden 

Bischofswerda 

Jena 

Grossröhrsdorf 

Löbichau Chemnitz Freiberg 

34 

19 JENOPTIK Automatisierungstechnik GmbH 

www.automation-jenoptik.de 

10 

02 Photovoltaics at MLU Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg 

Endowed professorship and course WS 2009/2010; www.uni-halle.de 

01 02 03 04 05 02 

03 Thüringer Kompetenzzentrum Hochtechnologie-Solarindustrie 

www.bwaw-thueringen.de/leistung/forsch/p_fasipho.htm 

20 JENOPTIK Laser Optik Systeme GmbH 

www.jenoptik-los.de 

02 

04 Electrical Power and Control Engineering and photovoltaics at the 

Ilmenau University of Technology Masters course WS 2009/2010; www.tu-ilmenau.de 

21 WACKER SCHOTT Solar GmbH 

www.wackerschott.com 

05 Photovoltaics and semiconductor technology at the FH Jena 

Bachelor course WS 2009/2010; www.fh-jena.de 

22 Roth & Rau AG 

www.roth-rau.de 

23 Signet Solar Inc. 

www.signetsolar.com 

Erfurt 

06 Institut für Festkörperphysik/Forschungsschwerpunkt Photovoltaik at 

Friedrich Schiller University of Jena Professorship WS 2009/2010; www.uni-jena.de 

11 12 13 14 15 16 03 

24 Siltronic AG 

www.siltronic.com 

03 

07 Endowment fund of SolarWorld AG at TUBA Technische Universität 

Bergakademie Freiberg WS 2009/2010; www.tu-freiberg.de 

06 

25 Solarworld AG 

www.solarworld.de 

26 Deutsche Solar AG 

www.deutschesolar.de 

23 

Hohenstein- 

Ernstthal 

Crispendorf 

Thuringia 


27 

Ilmenau 

07 04 

01 SSF Solar Screen Factory AG 

www.ssf.ag 

27 Sunfilm AG 

www.sunfilm.com 

02 SRU Solar AG 

www.sru-solar-ag.de 

28 ARISE Technologies Deutschland GmbH 

www.arisetech.com 

07 

24 

22 

29 AIS Automation Dresden GmbH 

www.ais-automation.com 

10 

11 

25 

03 SolarInput e.V. 

www.solarinput.de 

04 

26 

17 

04 ALTEC Solartechnik 

www.altec-solartechnik.de 

30 ALOtec GmbH 

www.alotec.de 

05 

18 

05 GSS Gebäude-Solarsysteme 

www.zre-ot.de 

31 EESA 

www.eesa-sachsen.de 

09 

05 

06 

08 

19 

32 SOLARWATT AG 

www.solarwatt.de 

20 

06 AIS Automation Dresden GmbH 

www.ais-automation.com 

21 

07 Dr. Sol Solarsysteme GmbH 

www.drsol.de 

33 SunStrom GmbH 

www.sunstrom.de 

08 4d-technologie GmbH 

www.4d-technologie.de 

34 VON ARDENNE Anlagentechnik GmbH 

www.vonardenne.biz 

09 Wirtschaftsinitiative für Mitteldeutschland 

www.mitteldeutschland.com 

35 FHR Anlagenbau 

www.fhr.de 

36 Wacker Chemie AG 

www.wacker.com 

37 AVANCIS GmbH & Co.KG 

www.avancis.de 

38 Solarion AG 

www.solarion.de 

Central Germany 

State capitals 

Producers 

Research & development 

Training and further training 

Service providers

INDUSTRIAL INITIATIVE 

FOR CENTRAL GERMANY 

KU RO TEC 

KTS 

Kunstofftechnik Stade 

perdata 

 

The Industrial Initiative for Central Germany brings together key corporations, business chambers and local authorities 

from Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt and Thuringia with the common aim of promoting the successful development 

and marketing of the traditional economic region of Central Germany. 

www.mitteldeutschland.com

mitte l punkt - Wirtschaftsinitiative für Mitteldeutschland

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