Erlangen, 18 May 2009 Solar Millennium AG is strengthening its Group management due to increasing order volume in the business field of Power Plant Construction. On 15 May 2009 Dr.-Ing. Wolfgang Knothe, together with Dr. Daniel Fuchs, took over the management of MAN Solar Millennium GmbH, a joint venture with MAN Ferrostaal. The CEO of Solar Millen-nium AG, Christian Beltle, had simultaneously co-managed the newly established MAN Solar Millennium during the start-up phase and now passes on his direct responsibility for the Power Plant Construction subsidiary to Dr. Knothe.

At the same time, Dr. Knothe will become a member in the extended Management Board of Solar Millennium AG. He holds a PhD in engineering and has many years of experience as managing director and board member in plant construction companies, such as Uhde GmbH, Lurgi GmbH and MAN Ferrostaal AG among others.

Christian Beltle: "We are pleased that we have been able to attract such a renowned expert in the field of international plant construction as Wolfgang Knothe, who will further promote the expansion of the business. Whilst the construction is already underway for our third Spanish parabolic trough power plant Andasol 3, we are planning to commission MAN Solar Millennium with the realisation of additional solar-thermal power plants in Spain. The busi-ness field of Power Plant Construction contributes a disproportionately high share to Solar Millennium's strongly growing sales volume."

About Solar Millennium AG:
Solar Millennium AG, Erlangen, is an international company in the renewable energy sector, with its main emphasis on solar-thermal power plants. Together with its subsidiaries, the Company specializes in parabolic trough power plants, a proven and reliable technology with which the Group has adopted a leading position worldwide. Solar Millennium covers all im-portant business sectors along the value chain for solar-thermal power plants - from project development and technology to turn-key construction as well as plant operation and invest-ments in power plants. In Spain, Solar Millennium developed Europe's first parabolic trough power plants and realized them with its partners. Additional projects are planned around the world with an overall capacity of more than 2,000 megawatts. The current regional focus is on Spain, the US, China and North Africa. Furthermore, the Company has the aim of achiev-ing market readiness for the so-called Blue Tower technology for the generation of product gas that is rich in hydrogen through the reformation of regenerative residual materials, and also for solar chimney power plants in the long run.

About solar-thermal power plant technology:
Solar-thermal power plants generate electricity by converting solar radiation into heat energy. In a parabolic trough power plant, trough-shaped mirrors concentrate the incidental radiation onto a pipe in the focal line of the collector. Its absorption heats a fluid heat medium in the pipe, generating steam in the power block through a heat exchanger. As in conventional power plants, the steam powers a turbine to generate electricity. By integrating thermal stor-age, electricity can be supplied on demand, even after sunset.

About MAN Solar Millennium GmbH:
MAN Solar Millennium GmbH is a 50-50 joint venture by MAN Ferrostaal AG and Solar Mil-lennium AG that was founded in May 2007. The Company specialises in the development and turn-key construction of solar-thermal power plants with a capacity in the range between 20 and 250 megawatts. MAN Solar Millennium combines the expertise of both its parent companies.

You can download the press release here.

Dr. Wolfgang Knothe