Solar Frontier Wraps Up Landmark Year with Major Presence at PV Japan

2011 achievements in production and sales are foundation for growth in 2012 and beyond

TOKYO, November 30, 2011 – Solar Frontier announced today that it will have a major presence at PV Japan 2011 from December 5-7 in Makuhari, Japan. Solar Frontier's booth (#P09-706) will showcase products including the company's latest high-performance CIS modules from its gigawatt-scale production enterprise. Atsuhiko Hirano, Senior Vice President, Solar Frontier, will deliver a keynote speech at the PV Japan Executive Forum where he will lay out why Solar Frontier has garnered the trust of partners around the world.


"We understand that our customers prioritize economics. But we know too that the ecological solution is also the economical solution in the long term. CIS is the thin-film technology that we believe best addresses the triangle of performance, cost, and environment. It is a "market-based solution" because it delivers more kWh per kWp – and ultimately, this is what customers are paying for. At the same time, the more kWh we deliver, the more ecological the solution will be," Hirano will say in the keynote.

Solar Frontier announced in July that its gigawatt-scale Kunitomi plant is running at full commercial operations, and partnerships with major solar companies around the world like Albatech, Balticsolar, BELECTRIC, GE, Granite Construction, HopSol, juwi, and MHH Solartechnik demonstrate a strong global distribution network that delivers high performance CIS modules to customers in the utility, commercial and residential markets.

"2011 was a landmark year for Solar Frontier and the CIS (or CIGS) industry as a whole," commented Shigeaki Kameda, CEO, Solar Frontier. "Solar Frontier achieved an unprecedented ramp up of its gigawatt-scale manufacturing enterprise in Miyazaki, Japan, to take a leadership position in the rapidly-growing CIS sector of the photovoltaic market. Customers around the world have shown their support for this increase in supply of affordable solar panel performance by embarking on projects to leverage the power of CIS. From India to France, the United States to Japan, and Germany to Africa, Solar Frontier's black CIS modules are contributing to a more economical, ecological energy future."

Solar Frontier continues to build up an impressive portfolio of major utility-scale installations in "sunbelt" markets like India and Saudi Arabia, and markets with temperate and changeable conditions like Germany, France and Japan. These projects are pushing the boundaries of innovation and optimization to provide superior overall electrical output (kWh) in real, varied conditions in parts of the world that are hot or cold, clear or cloudy, sandy or snowy – a key advantage of Solar Frontier's CIS technology.

To find out more about PV Japan 2011 and Solar Frontier's presence there, visit http://www.pvjapan.org/en/.

For details on Solar Frontier's keynote address and how to register, visit http://www.pvjapan.org/en/sessions/forum.

About Solar Frontier
Solar Frontier, a 100% subsidiary of Showa Shell Sekiyu K.K., has a mission to create the most economical, ecological solar energy solutions on Earth. Solar Frontier is a pioneer of CIS (denoting key ingredients copper, indium, and selenium), the thin-film technology with the best overall potential to set the world's most enduring standard for solar energy. Our legacy of work in solar technology since the 1970s, the priority focus our laboratories have given to CIS since 1993, and our success in large scale CIS commercialization since 2007 mean Solar Frontier's modules deliver compelling economics, sector-leading energy conversion efficiency, and higher overall power output (kWh) in real-world operating conditions. Solar Frontier's gigawatt-scale production enterprise in Miyazaki, Japan, employs advanced production processes and low energy consumption to deliver high efficiency modules with superior ecology, reliability, stability and sustainability. At gigawatt scale, Solar Frontier supplies worldwide demand for a new standard in affordable solar panel performance. Visit www.solar-frontier.com for more information.

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