AVANCIS has laid the foundation stone for its second plant in Torgau in the German state of Saxony. The company celebrated the successful progress of the construction work in the presence of renowned politicians and numerous guests.

The new plant will increase AVANCIS’ annual production capacities up to five times of the previous level, from 20 MWp to 120 MWp. Construction work commenced in June and is still running on schedule. Production at plant two is set to commence as early as the first quarter of 2012, which means the construction work is being completed in 18 months. Meanwhile, plant one is running at full capacity.

“Over 200 people will find highly qualified work in the new plant. The capacity will be 100 MWp/a:, enough modules to convert a 15,000-inhabitant city to clean energy every year,” stated Hartmut Fischer, CEO of AVANCIS, in his speech. “These modules will make it possible to omit roof-shingles while still providing rain-tight roofs. They will be suitable for assembly in facades, but also on the existing roofs of private and commercial buildings and in ground-mounted power plants. Our CIS solar modules will offer high efficiency, comparable to that of silicon modules. And these modules will even have a nicer look than our existing, already very aesthetically pleasing modules.”

“Renewable energies in the Free State of Saxony currently account for 14.2% of the total energy mix. This should be increased to 24% by 2020,” commented Frank Kupfer, Saxony’s state minister for environment and agriculture, during his welcome speech.

A subsidiary of Saint-Gobain, AVANCIS commissioned its first plant in Torgau in October 2008 and already employs 150 people at the site. A further 50-strong team in the fields of research and development and plant planning is also based in Munich. The new building will be adjacent to the existing plant.