CIGS

Global Solar has developed a proprietary process for manufacturing thin-film Copper Indium Gallium diSelenide (CIGS) photovoltaic (PV) modules. Unlike traditional solar panels that are rigid, heavy and fragile, Global Solar's thin-film solar modules are lightweight, flexible and durable. While other companies produce CIGS on glass, Global Solar is the only company with CIGS on flexible materials.

CIGS create more electricity from the same amount of sunlight than does other thin-film PV and therefore has a higher "conversion efficiency". CIGS conversion efficiency is also very stable over time, meaning its performance continues unabated for many years. The performance of many other PV materials can rapidly decline with use. Customers are well aware that Global Solar's CIGS does not suffer the degradation in cell efficiency associated with other thin-film PV. (See conclusions of Israel's Weizmann Institute as published in Renewable Energy World, September 1999, "CIGS Cells are Self-Repairing, Say Researchers").

No other company comes close to matching our approach to PV manufacturing and its resultant PV products.
This is because:

• Global Solar uses thin-film PV which is less expensive to manufacture due to reduced labor, lower material, energy, handling and capital costs.
• Global Solar uses Copper Indium Gallium diSelenide (CIGS) which is the best of the thin-film PV.
• Global Solar uses "roll-roll" manufacturing which is significantly more cost-effective than traditional in-line manufacturing approaches.
• Global Solar's PV can be shipped in very compact, lightweight packages to the most remote parts of the earth. This significantly reduces the cost of the complete installation.
• Global Solar's PV being so compact provides better storage and when coupled with high damage tolerance is a significant advantage for many military, space, and commercial applications.