EANS-Adhoc: SOLON SE / SOLON SE presents preliminary figures for fiscal 2009 - net income impacted by extraordinary expenses

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ad-hoc disclosure pursuant to section 15 of the WpHG transmitted by euro
adhoc with the aim of a Europe-wide distribution. The issuer is solely
responsible for the content of this announcement.
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23.02.2010

- Group sales at EUR354 million
- Earnings before interest and taxes (EBIT) at EUR-195 million
- Net income after extraordinary losses at EUR-276 million
- Positive operating cash flow of EUR90 million
- Slight decrease in net debt

Berlin, February 23, 2010 - SOLON SE, Berlin, Germany (ISIN DE0007471195) today
presented its preliminary figures for fiscal year 2009.

The past fiscal year was determined by stagnation in global demand for solar
technology, which was allocated with extreme fluctuations over the year. While
the first three quarters remained significantly behind the previous year, the
fourth quarter experienced a surge in year-end business. The increase was driven
primarily by strong demand in the German market, which was limited almost
entirely to the end customer market. By contrast, the solar power plant business
- which in 2007 and 2008 had made a significant contribution to the strong
growth of the solar industry - drastically declined in fiscal 2009 as a
consequence of the global financial crisis, which brought financing for major
solar projects to a near standstill.

The market trend described above was also reflected in the performance of the
SOLON Group and its individual segments in fiscal year 2009. The Components
segment - manufacture of standard solar modules and sale to wholesalers and
solar installers - performed solidly, reaching the unit sales level of the
previous year. The System Technology segment, however - manufacture of solar
power plant systems and planning and construction of turnkey, large-scale power
plants all over the world - fell behind expectations. Although a number of
major contracts were acquired in the second half, these will not affect revenue
or earnings until 2010 due to the necessary lead time.

According to preliminary calculations, Group sales reached EUR354 million, a
drop of 57% compared to the extremely strong prior year (2008: EUR815 million).
Earnings before interest and tax (EBIT) dropped to a loss of EUR195 million
(2008: positive EBIT of EUR58 million). The net loss after minority interests
amounted to EUR276 million (2008: net income of EUR33 million). Earnings per
share fell to a loss of EUR22.00 (2008: positive EPS of EUR2.61). EBIT and net
income were massively impacted by extraordinary expenses, particularly
impairment losses on financial assets and assets of subsidiaries amounting to
EUR122 million as well as devaluation on inventory of EUR60 million due to a
30-percent decline in unit sales prices in fiscal 2009.

A net cash inflow of approximately EUR90 million was generated in fiscal year
2009. Net debt was reduced slightly to EUR345 million as of the reporting date
(2008: EUR379 million). The negotiations with lenders on restructuring
medium-term Group financing are still underway, but are expected to be completed
by the end of the first quarter of 2010.

The restructuring program initiated in fiscal 2009, which includes strategic
measures along with projects to improve the Company´s cost structure, has
already shown initial successes, as can be seen in the improved liquidity
situation, for instance.

The extreme differences in performance of the two operating segments Components
and System Technology resulted in a corresponding shift in their share of total
sales. In 2009, the Components segment accounted for 73% of Group sales (2008:
45%), while the System Technology segment fell back to 27% (2008: 55%). Some 52%
of Group sales were generated in Germany in 2009. All in all, photovoltaic
installations with a total output of 132 MW were manufactured in fiscal 2009, a
decline of 25 percent on the prior year (2008: 176 MW).

The SOLON Group maintains five production sites in Germany, Austria, Italy,
Switzerland, and the United States. The number of employees at all Group
locations amounted to 899 at year end.

For the current fiscal year, the Management Board expects global demand for
solar technology to pick up considerably, with the decrease in sales prices
slowing compared to 2009. The goal is to return to sales growth in the
double-digit percentage range and to break even in terms of operating earnings.

The complete 2009 Annual Report of SOLON SE will be published on 31 March 2010
and will be available for download from the Company´s website at www.solon.com.

SOLON SE
Therese Raatz
Investor Relations
Telefon: +49 / 30 / 818 79 - 9305
Telefax: +49 / 30 / 818 79 - 9300
E-Mail: [email protected]

Further inquiry note:
Therese Raatz
Head of Corporate Communications
Tel.: +49 30 818 79-9305
E-Mail: [email protected]
end of announcement euro adhoc
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issuer:   SOLON SE
          Am Studio  16
          D-12489 Berlin
phone:    +49 30 818 79-9305
FAX:      +49 30 818 79-9300
mail:     [email protected]
WWW:      www.solon.com
sector:   Energy
ISIN:     DE0007471195
indexes:  Midcap Market Index, CDAX, HDAX, Technology All Share, GEX, ÖkoDAX

stockmarkets: regulated dealing/prime standard: Frankfurt, regulated dealing:
Berlin, Hamburg, Stuttgart, Düsseldorf, München
language: English

Digitale Pressemappe: http://www.ots.at/pressemappe/EASY_15362

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