News

16 July 2007

Exclusive development contract for Flexcell signed with a majority owned subsidiary of Q-CELLS AG

Hightex announces that it has signed an exclusive contract with VHF-Technologies SA (“VHF”) for the exclusive co-development of a flexible photovoltaic ETFE membrane for intelligent building envelopes. Hitherto, most systems using standard photovoltaic modules have not provided for the transmission of light and their size has been limited.

VHF manufactures flexible, thin and lightweight photovoltaic modules, using its proprietary Very-High-Frequency plasma technology to deposit thin layers of amorphous silicon onto plastic substrates. This product,Flexcell is a solar cell laminated between two layers of ETFE membrane of the kind used by Hightex in its architectural roof and façade structures (www.flexcell.com). ETFE is ethylene-tetra-fluor-ethylene, a high performance material principally used in single or multi-layered systems. The majority of the share capital of VHF is owned by Q-CELLS AG, which is a leading company in solar technology.

Under the contract between VHF and Hightex, VHF has agreed that Hightex will have the exclusive use of the Flexcell/ETFE product in architectural membrane applications. Hightex has used ETFE in many of its structures, including the National Space Centre in Leicester, UK and at Clarke Quay in Singapore, the largest covered shopping street in Asia.

The Directors of Hightex and its wholly-owned subsidiary company SolarNext see this contract as a significant step in creating its intelligent buildings division, which combines solar and membrane technologies. Flexcell will enable a building to generate its own power and the technology opens a wide range of creative and innovative solutions for architects worldwide to create eye-catching buildings and at the same time to produce clean energy. Hightex expects to execute the first architectural structures before the end of 2007 using photovoltaic membrane panels of 25 sq. m. and larger.

Charles DesForges, Chairman of Hightex, said “This new product will be a major innovative advance for architectural membrane structures such as sports stadia, airports, rail stations and shopping malls. Hightex is delighted to have signed this agreement with VHF and we look forward to the product establishing new, international standards in the use of light weight building structures of low environmental impact.”

Enquiries:

Charles DesForges
Chairman
Tel: +44 (0) 7799 626 238

Klaus Michael Koch
Chief Executive Officer
Tel: +49 8051 6888-0

Teather & Greenwood
Sindre Ottesen
Tel: +44 (0) 207 426 9000