Nanotechnology Now - Press Release: "Soitec announces Concentrix Solar joining the Transgreen Initiative"

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Abstract:
Soitec (Euronext Paris), the world's leading supplier of silicon-on-insulator (SOI) and advanced solutions for the electronics and energy industries, announced today that its Concentrix Solar division focusing on concentrator photovoltaic (CPV) systems, has joined the Transgreen Initiative.

Soitec announces Concentrix Solar joining the Transgreen Initiative

Paris | Posted on September 17th, 2010

Transgreen was recently created within the context of the Mediterranean Solar Plan to stimulate the development of a Trans-Mediterranean electric power transmission network to respond to the significant expected needs for electricity exchange between the two sides of the Mediterranean. Concentrix Solar's CPV technology is designed for use by large-scale solar power plants in hot and arid regions. The systems are extremely efficient, modular, flexible and very well-suited to the needs and challenges of the Mediterranean region to produce low cost electricity.

"Transgreen is a perfect vector to support our activities in the Mediterranean area. We are looking forward to working with this ecosystem of companies and the countries of the Mediterranean region to demonstrate the value of CPV," said Concentrix Solar CEO, Hansjörg Lerchenmüller. "We have an opportunity to make a significant contribution to the region's energy needs for renewable energy sources and to export energy to European countries."

With 25 percent AC system efficiency, Concentrix Solar's CPV systems provide the highest efficiency of all solar technologies available. Especially at locations with extremely hot ambient temperatures, CPV systems perform better than conventional solar systems and therefore guarantee a high and constant power production throughout the day. Because they do not need cooling water, Concentrix Solar's systems are perfectly suited for power plant installations in arid areas like in the Mediterranean region. Due to the technology's high scalability, it is possible to commission CPV power plants in different phases. This means a shorter time to operation. After connecting the first units to the grid, the systems start to produce energy while the installation of the power plant is still in progress.

Concentrix Solar will exhibit in booth number 77 at the SolarMed trade show, September 15-17 in Paris, France.

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About Soitec
The Soitec Group is the world’s leading innovator and provider of the engineered substrate solutions that serve as the foundation for today’s most advanced microelectronic products. The group leverages its proprietary Smart Cut™ technology to engineer new substrate solutions, such as silicon-on-insulator (SOI) semiconductor wafers, which became the first high-volume application for this proprietary technology. Since then, SOI has emerged as the material platform of the future, enabling the production of higher performing, faster chips that consume less power.

Today, Soitec produces more than 80 percent of the world’s SOI wafers. Headquartered in Bernin, France, with two high-volume fabs on-site, Soitec has offices throughout the United States, Japan and Taiwan, and a new production site in Singapore.

Three other divisions – Picogiga International, Tracit Technologies and Concentrix Solar – complete the Soitec Group. Picogiga delivers advanced substrates solutions, including III-V epi wafers and gallium nitride (GaN) wafers, to the compound materials market for manufacturing high-frequency electronics and other optoelectronic devices. Tracit provides thin-film layer transfer technologies used to manufacture advanced substrates for power ICs and microsystems as well as generic circuit transfer technology, Smart Stacking™, for applications such as image sensors and 3D integration. In December 2009, Soitec acquired 80 percent of Concentrix Solar, the leading provider of concentrated photovoltaic (CPV) solar systems for the industrial production of energy. With this acquisition, Soitec has entered the fast-growing solar market. Shares of the Soitec Group are listed on Euronext Paris. For more information, visit: www.soitec.com.

Soitec, Smart Cut, Smart Stacking and UNIBOND are trademarks of S.O.I.TEC Silicon On Insulator Technologies.

Concentrix Solar GmbH is a leading supplier of concentrator photovoltaic equipment and turnkey power plants for sunny locations. The company was founded in February 2005 as a spin-off from the world-renowned Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE. In December 2009, Concentrix Solar became a division of the Soitec Group.

Concentrix Solar operates a fully automated industrial production line in Freiburg, Germany, with an annual production capacity of 25 megawatts. Its FLATCON® concentrator modules use Fresnel lenses to concentrate sunlight 500 times and focus it onto small, highly efficient solar cells that convert the light into electrical energy. With this technology, Concentrix Solar achieves AC system efficiencies of 25 percent – almost twice as high as those achieved by conventional silicon technology. As a result, Concentrix Solar’s systems can reduce the cost of electricity generation by 10 percent to 20 percent compared to other solar technologies, depending on the location of the installation. For more information, visit: www.concentrix-solar.de.

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Contacts:
Media Contact Concentrix Solar
Silke Hajunga
+49 (0)761 214 108 24

International Media Contact
Camille Darnaud-Dufour
+33 (0)6 79 49 51 43

Investor Relations
Olivier Brice
+33 (0)4 76 92 93 80

French Media Contact
Muriel Martin, H&B Communication
+33 (0)1 58 18 32 44