January 15, 2013, Beijing, China -(ASIA TODAY)- Hanergy Holding Group, Ltd. (Hanergy), China’s largest privately-owned clean-energy company, and the world’s No. 1 thin-film PV-company today finalized its acquisition of US-based MiaSolé, giving it a 100% stake in the firm. The China-US strategic partnership follows a 9-month search by MiaSolé, which has already attracted more than $550 million from investors including KPCB, Vantage Point and other significant venture investors. Hanergy’s US acquisition follows its purchase of German thin-film maker Solibro last year and now makes Hanergy one of the world’s largest clean-energy companies.
The acquisition will significantly boost the operations of MiaSolé, a California-based pioneer and leading manufacturer of copper indium gallium selenide (CIGS) thin-film photovoltaic solar panels. Upon completion of the transaction, Hanergy plans to ramp up MiaSolé’s California-based factory to full capacity. The Sunnyvale plant’s 100-plus employees in engineering, technology and manufacturing will be preserved, and Hanergy expects to hire additional employees. Additionally, Hanergy will make sustained investment in MiaSolé’s R&D.
The transaction has received regulatory approvals by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) and Chinese Authorities.
Li Hejun, Chairman of Hanergy Holding Group, commented: “Our acquisition of MiaSolé is another landmark deal and key milestone to facilitate the global clean-energy technology integration after we acquired German thin-film technology provider Solibro. Hanergy is determined to be a global renewable-energy leader. In the solar-energy sector, Hanergy is committed to developing thin-film PV technology, providing turn-key solutions, and developing solar plants. The future of solar energy is thin-film technology. This acquisition allows us to add a highly efficient flexible product to our portfolio. Hanergy's vision to lead CIGS technology globally and its combined strength with Solibro and MiaSolé, now make for a diversified and compelling product, which will be offered to a global customer base. I believe this successful China-US clean-energy cooperation will deliver fruitful results through our mutual efforts.”
John Carrington, CEO of MiaSolé, added: “MiaSolé has advanced solar technology by developing the highest efficiency and lowest-cost CIGS modules but we needed to align with a strategic partner in order to deploy our technology across a larger global scale. I greatly appreciate and identify with Hanergy’s unique business model, its focus on and belief in thin-film solar technology, and its vision of providing clean-energy solutions to the world. This acquisition of MiaSolé is a win-win outcome for both companies. Hanergy will secure our CIGS technology, which boasts the world’s highest conversion efficiency, to complement its existing technologies and promote the company’s leap-forward development in its global technological integration. MiaSolé will enjoy a fully optimized capital structure, enabling us to focus on R&D and capacity breakthroughs, and become more competitive by riding on Hanergy’s global advantages.”
The MiaSolé acquisition follows Hanergy’s agreement to acquire Q.CELLS’ thin-film subsidiary Solibro in Germany last year. Hanergy decided to invest in the leading CIGS co-evaporation technology that Solibro has developed over the last 25 years. After the completion of the acquisition, Solibro will ramp up to a yearly production capacity of 100 MW in Thalheim to supply Hanergy’s European customers. Though MiaSolé’s CIGS follows a different technological line, the two can share the patents and thus improve the conversion efficiency. MiaSolé has set flexible PV efficiency world record at 15.5%. It is expected that the CIGS efficiency will further rise to above 17% within 24 months, and the production cost will drop to sub $.50 within 24 months.
Hanergy has been committed to “Clean Energy for a Better World” since its establishment in 1994. The company has emerged to become the world’s No.1 thin-film PV producer both in scale and technology. Its thin-film PV production capacity has achieved 3GW in total. Thin-film solar cells have the exclusive advantages of low material-consumption, low energy-consumption, and non-pollution. Thin-film solar cells can be made on flexible substrates to form lightweight and flexible PV modules. Such flexible PV modules are easy to install because no supporting holders are needed. Therefore, it is significantly beneficial to apply the flexible thin-film solar modules to the situation of non-bearing or limited-bearing rooves. Hanergy will continue to focus on thin-film technology, which proves to be the best path to take for our future.
About Hanergy
Hanergy Holding Group Ltd. is China's largest private clean-energy power generation company, as well as the world's largest thin-film solar company.Established in 1994, the Company is headquartered in Beijing and has more than 8,000 employees. It has branches in several provinces in China as well as in North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific and other regions. Its businesses cover hydropower, wind power, and photovoltaic power generation. Since its establishment, Hanergy has been committed to "Clean Energy for a Better World”. At present, its total installed capacity of hydropower project exceeds 6GW, and its total installed capacity of wind power projects is 131MW. In the field of solar energy, Hanergy has invested in the construction of thin-film solar industry R&D and manufacturing bases in Sichuan, Guangdong, Hainan, Zhejiang, Shandong, Jiangsu and other places, with a total production capacity of 3GW. Through global technical integration and independent innovation, Hanergy’s thin-film photovoltaic technology has reached international advanced levels, with the conversion efficiency of its copper indium gallium selenide (CIGS) modules reaching 15.5%.Hanergy has entered into solar-power plant construction agreements that total a capacity of about 10GW. These projects are located in Xinjiang, Qinghai, Ningxia, Jiangsu, Hainan, Shandong, Hebei and other provinces as well as in European countries. Hanergy engages in the integration of the entire photovoltaic industry chain, covering R&D, high-end equipment manufacturing, PV module production and construction of photovoltaic power plants.
For more information, please visit www.hanergy.com
About MiaSolé
MiaSolé is a pioneer and leading manufacturer of copper indium gallium selenide (CIGS) thin-film photovoltaic solar panels. Through a distinctive manufacturing process, MiaSolé has established CIGS as one of the lowest-cost, highest efficiency thin-film solar panels in the world – thus advancing the extraordinary potential for harnessing solar power as a competitive, sustainable energy source.
For more information, please visit www.MiaSolé.com.