Sisley Group gets the capital's highest-performing photovoltaic roof, with a production capacity of 848KWp, thanks to the SopraSolar solution derived from laminates

Sisley, luxury cosmetics manufacturer, and Groupe Panhard Developpement, a French commercial real estate developer, are proud to present the largest industrial building that meets French HQE standards and whose electricity supply comes from UNI SOLAR® technology.
Paris, France, 7 October 2010 ? United Solar, one of the world's leading manufacturers of flexible thin-film solar laminates under its UNI SOLAR® brand and a subsidiary 100% owned by Energy Conversion Devices (NASDAQ: ENER), announces the completion of one of the largest photovoltaic projects on the roof of the Sisley building, headquarters of the global luxury cosmetics brand based in Paris, France.

United Solar, working closely with well-known building materials companies, secured this project with its distribution partner Soprema, the French expert in modified bitumen roofing materials and photovoltaic waterproofing systems.

SopraSolar, a photovoltaic waterproofing system designed by Soprema in collaboration with United Solar, is powered by UNI SOLAR® technology, which optimally integrates the waterproofing function into its photovoltaic laminates.

The roof of the Sisley Group's international logistics center has six sections with a total area of 45 000 m², of which 35 000 m² are covered with the SopraSolar bituminous photovoltaic membrane, powered by UNI SOLAR® technology.

This combination is vital in France, where higher preferential tariffs apply to buildings equipped with photovoltaic panels; using the photovoltaic system makes it possible to generate a return from part of the building envelope's function. Once completed, the 848 kWp project will supply the equivalent of 181 homes per year, which will considerably reduce the Sisley Group's carbon footprint.

Groupe Panhard Développement, one of the major developers in the global industrial property construction market and a pioneer in integrating HQE standards (French standards for sustainable buildings) in this market, decided to use UNISOLAR ® photovoltaic laminates. According to Christian Kopp, Managing Director of Panhard Réalisations,

?We chose this solution because it allowed us to overcome two technical constraints: the roof's limited load capacity and the high proportion of diffuse sunlight in the Paris region.

Thanks to their extreme lightness, UNI SOLAR PV laminates address both constraints without adding extra wind loads.

Moreover, thanks to triple-junction amorphous silicon technology, these PV modules can capture more sunlight under non-optimal sunlight and orientation conditions; they therefore deliver the highest energy yields in real outdoor conditions.?

Contributing to sustainable development mattered greatly to the project owner's image and was part of its corporate social and environmental responsibility (CSR) program. ?United Solar is proud to have worked with several companies to support Sisley in its wish to add more solar energy to the world-famous city of Paris,? said Mark Morelli, President and Chief Executive Officer of Energy Conversion Devices, parent company of United Solar.

?In the building-integrated photovoltaics (BIPV) market, we are committed to continuing to provide the best solutions in the world: suited to a very wide range of projects, they are characterized by good performance in all types of conditions, while remaining cost-effective and lightweight.?