Mainz, September 30, 2009 – WACKER and SCHOTT Solar have reached an agreement on the main cornerstones of a realignment of the WACKER SCHOTT Solar joint venture. To start with, both partners have agreed to discontinue wafer manufacturing based on the EFG process. As a result, SCHOTT Solar plans to continue to operate the wafer business independently. This means that Wacker Chemie AG will cease to participate in the joint venture company that manufactures silicon wafers, a precursor product for solar cells, and secure the supply of silicon.

The WACKER SCHOTT Solar joint venture had initially developed two separate technologies for manufacturing solar wafers on a parallel basis. The ingot process, on the one hand, and the ribbon drawing technique EFG that is employed solely by WACKER SCHOTT Solar, on the other. “In light of the current price developments with respect to silicon and solar wafers, ingot technology has now proven to be a more economical process. For this reason, the decision to close EFG manufacturing that both parties support represents a consistent step towards ensuring the cost-effectiveness of manufacturing wafers,” says Dr. Patrick Markschläger, Managing Director of WACKER SCHOTT Solar. Efforts are already underway to find socially acceptable solutions for the roughly 100 employees that this will affect together with the works council. The realignment of wafer activities will have no effect on cell and module manufacturing in Alzenau, the Czech Republic and the United States. The wafer volumes that are lost will be compensated for by POLY Wafers. Furthermore, SCHOTT Solar plans to manufacture modules that contain monocrystalline cells.

WACKER announced today that it will be withdrawing from the joint solar wafer business. In a second step, SCHOTT Solar will take over manufacturing based on the ingot process in Jena that employs around 350 people. Additional steps that are deemed to be necessary in order to reduce manufacturing costs are currently being evaluated in greater detail so that the company will be able to strengthen its position in the highly competitive wafer market.

SCHOTT Solar AG remains firmly committed to its long-term role as an integrated solar manufacturer.

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SCHOTT Solar, with its high quality products, enables the potential of the sun as a nearly inexhaustible source of energy to be utilized. And it’s for exactly that reason that SCHOTT Solar produces important components for photovoltaic applications and solar energy plants. In the photovoltaic industry, the company is one of the few integrated manufacturers of crystalline silicon wafers, cells and modules. In thin-film technology, SCHOTT Solar also describes itself an advanced supplier due to having over twenty years of experience. And in the production of receivers for solar power plants, SCHOTT Solar sees itself as a market and technology leader. The receivers are key components in large-scale power plants that generate electricity from solar energy centrally on the basis of parabolic trough technology and are able to supply entire cities with power. SCHOTT Solar has production facilities in Germany, the Czech Republic, the USA and Spain. The innovative power and technological competence of the company date back to the late 1950s. SCHOTT Solar GmbH is a wholly owned subsidiary of the international SCHOTT technology group. SCHOTT develops special materials, components and systems for the household appliance, pharmaceutical, solar energy, electronics, optical and automotive industries. With around 17,300 employees, the SCHOTT Group generated a worldwide turnover of about 2.2 billion euros in fiscal year 2007/2008.

Contact at SCHOTT AG:

SCHOTT AG

Klaus-Bernhard Hofmann

Corporate Public Relations

Phone +49(0)6131 66-3662

Fax +49 (0)6131 66-4041

e-mail: info.cpr@schott.com

Internet: www.schott.com

Contact at SCHOTT Solar AG:

SCHOTT Solar AG

Lars Waldmann

Press and Public Relations

Phone: +49 (0)6023 – 91 1811

Fax: +49 (0)6023 – 91 1700

e-mail: lars.waldmann@schottsolar.com

Internet: www.schottsolar.de

Burkhard Söhngen 

Investor Relations

Phone: +49 (0)6023 – 91 1819

Fax: +49 (0)6023 - 91 1700

burkhard.soehngen@schottsolar.com   

www.schottsolar.de