07.2009 1) Product News Solar USA 07/2009 CEC-Listing - PV Module Special Dear Solar-Team, The California's Public Utilities Commission and Energy Commission has confirmed: Schüco PV- Modules are one of the best performing PV Modules on the US market among all key PV Module Manufacturer such as Sharp, Kyocera, Mitsubishi, Solar World, Sunpower and many other. This Product News will show you in detail the excellence and outstanding performance of our products. With best regards Thomas Koerner Schüco Solar USA 2) Update of the so called CEC list In order to receive incentives from the Go Solar California solar initiative program, the respective PV modules have to be listed per the Energy Commission's Senate Bill 1 (SB1) Guidelines. The guidelines also included a major shift in the way solar incentives were calculated - away from a system that funded solar incentives based only on nameplate capacity and towards one where incentive levels are based on performance factors such as installation angle, tilt, and location. This performance framework ensures that California is generating clean solar energy and rewarding systems that can provide maximum solar generation. Beginning July 1, 2009, only modules which are on the SB1 Guidelines compliant module list will be eligible for incentives in California. All module manufacturers had to provide updated and verified third-party laboratory-tested data (per Appendix I of the Guidelines for California's Solar Electric Incentive Programs, Second Edition) in order to stay on the eligible module list. Manufacturers who have not been able to deliver the laboratory test-data in time or not complete are not listed anymore and those products are not eligible for incentives from the Go Solar California solar initiative. 1 Schüco Solar USA productnews 07/2009
After July 1, 2009, if a California solar electric incentive program uses PTC values, the SB1 Guidelines compliant and updated PTC values must be used for new reservation applications. 3) Schüco Crystalline PV-Module Performance Schüco has been able to deliver all required data for the updated List of Eligible SB1 Guidelines Compliant Photovoltaic Modules and following modules are currently listed: - Schüco SPV 210 SMAU-1 - Schüco SPV 200 SMAU-1 - Schüco S 180 SPU-4 - Schüco S 175 SPU-4 - Schüco S 170 SPU-4 - Schüco S 165 SPU-4 - Schüco S 170 SPU - Schüco S 165 SPU - Schüco MPE 320 MP 02 - Schüco MPE 310 MP 02 In total there are currently 366 crystalline modules and 35 thin-film modules listed. Among these listed modules, Schüco was able to achieve with its Schüco SPV 210 and 200 Wp modules an outstanding PTC value and an excellent STC/PTC percentage of 91.5% / 91.4%. The top 4 manufacturer listed as follows: - Sanyo HIP-200DA3 (amorphous/mono module) STC: 200 Wp / PTC: 186 Wp PTC/STC 93.1% - Schott Solar ASE-300-DGF/34-195 (double glass) STC: 195 Wp / PTC: 179 Wp PTC/STC 91.6% - Solar Power / Yes Solar SP205FP12 / ES205W-NW STC: 205 Wp / PTC: 188 Wp PTC/STC 91.6% - Schüco Schüco SPV 210 SMAU-1 STC: 210 Wp / PTC: 192 Wp PTC/STC 91.5% All other key manufacturer such as SunPower, Kyocera, SolarWorld, Suntech, Mitsubishi, Evergreen, Day4Energy, ET Solar, Trina have a significant lower performance than the Schüco modules. 2 Schüco Solar USA productnews 07/2009
Taking into account that (and comparing apples to apples) - the Sanyo modules are a combination of amorphous and monocrystalline technology (with a significant higher cost per Wp) and therefore having a lower temperature coefficient - the Schott modules are based on a heavy glass/glass structure with allows a higher thermal capacity (and only therefore this module is ranked as #2 all other Schott standard glass/tedlar modules having a PTC/STC rating below 90%) - the modules from Solar Power / Yes Solar are identical and only have a different branding then the following result and summary can be stated: The Schüco PV modules (SMAU series) are among the top 2 performing standard crystalline PV modules by manufacturer based on a glass/tedlar structure This shows stated by an independent module listing and validated by an 3rd-party test laboratory that the Schüco modules combine the highest product quality based on German engineering, most stringent component selection and excellent handling and quality control based on international production experience. If a customer is interested in an excellent performing PV module and PV system, there is no real other choice than Schüco. But what does the higher PTC rating of the Schüco modules really tell me? At the end it is very simple: our modules produce more kwh/kwp every day, with every hour of sunshine. The following comparison to other modules shows clearly how much more the Schüco SPV 210 SMAU module is able to produce: Assumptions for calculation: Modules are operating at PTC. If the temperature is greater than PTC (20C ambient), the benefits are likely to be greater. Annual production AC/kWp: 1,508 in San Francisco, CA and 1,258 in Newark, NJ. In this calculation a high-performance Kyocera module produces app. 3.9% less than a Schüco module and a Sharp module produces app. 5.3% less. For a 100 kwp system in San Francisco and a system up-time of 20 years this means a Schüco system produces app. 161,221 kwh more than a Sharp system this is a module sales price difference of app. US$ 0.32/Wp (based on an electricity price of US$ 0.2/kWh). 3 Schüco Solar USA productnews 07/2009
4) Schüco Crystalline PV-Module Size / Power With the all new Schüco MPE 320 MP 02 module, Schüco offers the most powerful module on the CEC list, so probably the most powerful module available with UL listing and CEC listing in the US. These modules have in parallel the most attractive aesthetics as well as the unique capability to have the same size of our Premium solar hot water collectors allowing the installation of a seamless and pleasing full-power station on top of a roof. In combination with the new combined roof integration the so called SynergyRoof roof tiles become simply obsolete. 5) Schüco Thin-Film PV-Module Performance Next to the crystalline PV modules Schüco has updated all data for the Nexpower amorphous thin-film module series. The result of the CEC listing shows, that those modules have the second highest PTC value next to the FirstSolar modules on the market. Again this shows that the technology and engineering of Schüco in addition with the production capabilities of our partner Nexpower is able to result in one of the best performing products on the market. The actual PTC rating is a key value for highest system and module output and essential for all Power Purchase Agreements and Solar System Investors to have a clear understanding of the system performance within the next decades. 6) Schüco PV Module Warranty With the all new PV module warranty valid as of July 1st 2009 Schüco is able to confirm and to backup the above described and stated high performance of our product portfolio. Key highlights of the new warranty are - ALL Schüco branded modules are having a limited power warranty based on the nominal power, unlike most competitors which are based on the minimum power output. - ALL Schüco branded modules have a 5 year limited product warranty instead of 1 year (e.g. Kyocera, Sharp, Mitsubishi) or 2 years (e.g. SolarWorld, Canadian Solar) - ALL Schüco modules have a limited product and limited power warranty as of the date of shipment to the customer, not as many companies starting with the date of sales or ex-works shipment from China (such as Canadian Solar). 4 Schüco Solar USA productnews 07/2009
7) Summary 1) Schüco PV Modules have one of the best PTC ratings in the US market 2) Schüco PV Modules have one of the best warranties in the US market 3) Schüco offers the largest standard PV module in the US market 4) Schüco PV Modules are price competitive (residential and commercial) 5 Schüco Solar USA productnews 07/2009