One step further into the growing photovoltaics market

Evonik Industries and Sittard-Geleen, Netherlands-based The Silicon Mine (TSM) are planning to build the first integrated production facility for solar silicon in the Netherlands. For this purpose, the two partners recently signed a letter of intent. In this integrated production network, Evonik's Chemicals division will manufacture Siridion® chlorosilanes, from which TSM will produce high purity solar silicon for the photovoltaics industry. Evonik will invest a high double-digit million euro amount.

"We see solar silicon as a large market with growth over the next few years. In the mid-term, we aim to take hundreds of millions of euros in order to expand our good position massively in this attractive market," says Dr. Klaus Engel, member of the management board of Evonik Industries AG and responsible for the Chemicals division.

The integrated facility is being built at the DSM site in the municipality of Sittard-Geleen in Limburg province, one of the most important industrial zones in the Netherlands. At the site, Evonik Industries produces its high purity Siridion®* chlorosilanes, which are converted by TSM into high purity solar silicon by means of the well-proven Siemens deposition process: “The synergies of optimized integrated production between the partners Evonik Industries and TSM at one of Europe's largest chemical sites form the basis for the success of the project,” explains Dr. Dietmar Wewers, head of Evonik's Silanes Business Line.

Creating at least 400 jobs, TSM is planning an annual production of 3,750 metric tons of high purity solar silicon at the site in Sittard-Geleen: “That corresponds to 5 percent of the world market volume forecast for 2010,” underlines Gosse Boxhoorn, chairman of the management board of TSM, adding that annual production capacity could be increased in the long term even to 14,000 metric tons of solar silicon.

Evonik Industries AG is the world's largest producer of high purity chlorosilanes. These are raw materials in the production of solar silicon, which is itself used to produce solar wafers. The photovoltaics industry then processes these wafers into solar cells and modules.

Evonik Industries AG has been successfully involved in the booming photovoltaics market for several years. In April of this year, Evonik concluded an agreement with the French company Silicium de Provence (Silpro) for a similar integrated production of 4,000 metric tons per year of solar silicon. The following month, it signed jointly with PV Silicon, Erfurt, a long-term supply agreement to provide the 1,800-metric-ton solar silicon production facility currently under construction in Bitterfeld with Siridion® chlorosilanes. As early as 2002, the company established, with SolarWorld AG of Bonn, the joint venture Joint Solar Silicon GmbH & Co. KG headquartered in Freiberg, Saxony. It will produce 850 metric tons per year of solar silicon from monosilane at Evonik's Rheinfelden site.