As a manufacturer of innovative CIGS solar modules for photovoltaic systems, AVANCIS GmbH & Co. KG is successful in a growing industry. Due to high demand, the company recently expanded its facility in Torgau, Saxony.

From 2012 on, the second production hall will produce cutting edge CIS solar modules with an overall capacity of 100 MWp per year. The manufacturing process of the CIGS technology is characterized by a reduced number of production steps, as well as significantly lower material expenses and energy consumption. A continuous in-line production process significantly reduces complexity compared to crystalline silicon solar cells: from the delivery of the substrate all the way to the packaging of the module, AVANCIS only needs just under 30 steps.

The solar modules are produced with CIGS thin film technology. They are simply thin glass plates that are coated with a CIGS film consisting of copper, indium and gallium, plus selenium and sulfur. The patented method facilitates the optimal dosage of raw materials, resulting in a morehomogenous and thus more powerful semiconductor layer. The Munich subsidiary of KONZMANN® Energieservice GmbH was put in charge of installing the basic gas supply. In a second step, they also installed the so-called ‘hook-up’ gas supply, i.e., the gas supply of the machine connections.

Argon, nitrate, helium and process gases are used in the manufacturing process. For these gases, the KONZMANN technicians laid 2,000 meters of stainless steel tubing with an 8-100mm radius. Computer-based orbital welding was used to lay the tubing. For the production machines supply, all fittings were mounted on extraction panels and installed on site. Thus, the processes of every machine can be controlled individually on site. As an experienced partner in the semiconductor industry, Freiburg based engineering firm CRC was put in charge of planning and construction monitoring.

The project was a great opportunity for KONZMANN® Energieservice GmbH to showcase its core competence in the field of ultra-pure media. The expanded production capacities are the basis for AVANCIS’s continued successful growth in the sunrise industry of renewable energies.