Solar Frontier to supply 12,000 CIS modules for 1.8MW plant

Tokyo, November 28, 2012 – Solar Frontier announced today that it has been selected by Aikawa Press Industry Co., Ltd. to supply its thin-film CIS modules for the "Aikawa Press Takane Plant Megasolar" project. This is the first utility-scale solar project in the private sector to start construction in Yamanashi Prefecture. The ground-breaking ceremony was attended by Yukihiro Oyama, Executive Officer, Solar Frontier, and Takeshi Aikawa, Chairman and President of Aikawa Press, among other dignitaries.

The Aikawa Press Takane Plant Megasolar is one of only a few solar power plants in Japan that have been built adjacent to a factory. The project's generating capacity will be 1.8 MW, and 12,000 CIS thin-film PV modules manufactured by Solar Frontier will be installed. The project operator will be Aikawa Press, and the sale of electricity is scheduled to start around the end of next March.

Yamanashi Prefecture has one of the highest annual sunshine rates in Japan, making it well-suited for solar energy projects. Solar Frontier also provided CIS thin-film modules for the Mt. Komekura Megasolar plant in Yamanashi. Solar Frontier has developed its proprietary CIS technology to compete with silicon-based technologies on the basis of lower cost compared to total kilowatt hours produced as well as ecological factors, and manufactures all of its panels exclusively in Japan.

Looking ahead, the company will keep working toward "local energy generation for local consumption" using CIS modules, as well as contributing to effective land use through similar utility-scale projects.

About Solar Frontier

Solar Frontier K.K., a 100% subsidiary of Showa Shell Sekiyu K.K. (TYO:5002) ("Solar Frontier"), has a mission to create the most economical, ecological solar energy solutions on Earth. Building on a legacy of work in solar energy since the 1970s, Solar Frontier today develops and manufactures CIS (denoting copper, indium, selenium) thin-film solar modules for customers in all sectors around the world. Solar Frontier's gigawatt-scale production facilities in Miyazaki, Japan, integrate compelling economical and ecological advantages into every module: from lower energy requirements in manufacturing to the higher overall output (kWh) of CIS in real operating conditions. Solar Frontier is headquartered in Tokyo, with offices in Europe, the U.S.A., and the Middle East. Visit www.solar-frontier.com for more information.