• Second plant in Torgau begins operation, commercial market introduction of new product planned for Q1 2012.

The new production facility for state-of-the-art CIS solar modules has an overall capacity of 100 megawatt peak (MWp) per year. More than 200 new jobs have been created. 

The new plant allows Avancis to expand its annual production capacity from the current 20 MWp to a total of 120 MWp. Construction began in June 2010 and was completed on schedule within just 18 months. At peak production on an area of 25,000 m², the company will now annually produce over 800,000 high-performance CIS solar modules – enough power to provide a town of 15,000 inhabitants with clean electricity for a year. The number of employees at Avancis will double from the current 250 to almost 500.

The multiplication of production capacity also means an expansion of the module portfolio. As a part of this Avancis is bringing together its existing and new product lines under the PowerMax® umbrella brand. The already established product line that has until now used this name will be renamed PowerMax® STRONG as of 1 January 2012; the module design and functions of this product line will remain unchanged. The new product line that will be produced in the new factory will be released onto the market under the PowerMax® SMART brand in spring 2012.