• The business function of Solar Millennium Invest AG is primarily to procure equity and debt capital for Solar Millennium AG 
• For this purpose, Solar Millennium Invest AG has obtained the license for investment advisory and distribution of financial products from the supervisory authority BaFin and the German central bank (Deutsche Bundesbank) pursuant to the German Banking Act (KWG)
• Prof. Gerke on his personal involvement: "a fascination with the technology and strong belief in its prospects"
• Thomas Mayer, CFO of Solar Millennium AG: "deliberate step towards more transparency, audit duties and higher standard of communication to gain the trust of private and institutional investors in the long run."

Erlangen/Frankfurt, 16 March 2010  Solar Millennium AG (ISIN DE0007218406) and Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Gerke, expert in the field of banking and stock exchanges and the President of the Bavarian Financial Center (Bayerisches Finanz Zentrum), presented a newly founded joint venture for the distribution of green investment products during a press conference on 16 March in Frankfurt am Main. Starting immediately, Solar Millennium Invest AG will act as a broker for Solar Millennium AG, distributing corporate bonds, profit participation rights and closed end funds. Solar Millennium holds 55 percent of shares in the newly founded subsidiary. The remaining 45 percent are held by Prof. Wolfgang Gerke through an intermediary holding company.

Thomas Mayer, CFO of Solar Millennium AG and Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Solar Millennium Invest AG: "We are very pleased that Prof. Gerke, as a renowned expert in the banking and stock exchange sector, has joined the new company as a shareholder and member of the Supervisory Board. His extensive knowledge of the capital markets will be of great support to the Solar Millennium Group."

Prof. Wolfgang Gerke: "I certainly expect my investments to yield an attractive risk/return ratio, but I also want a company’s products and ideas to spark my enthusiasm. In this case, the combination of a fascinating technology, the future prospects of a booming market and an interesting investment and financing concept has prompted me to invest in this market segment. I’m convinced that the future belongs to solar-thermal power plants in sunny regions."

Solar Millennium AG’s Management Board views the founding of Solar Millennium Invest AG as another logical step in the expansion of financing options for power plant projects. Thomas Mayer: "Our Millennium financial concept provides for several options when it comes to financing our power plant projects: conventional debt financing via banks, the involvement of large institutional investors with equity or a fund solution that opens up the market for smaller investors as well. The combination of several of these options is also a possibility. Solar Millennium Invest AG is now expected to intensify its dialogue with private and institutional investors." Solar Millennium’s sales team will be integrated into Solar Millennium Invest. The first capital market product distributed by Solar Millennium Invest will be the Andasol Fund, roughly 60 percent of which has already been subscribed for (total fund volume of € 47.9 million).

Prof. Gerke: "Solar Millennium has been pursuing this strategy, which I see as the right strategy and a promising one, for some time now. It provides the Company with more flexibility and additional alternatives for reinvestments. At the same, the fact that smaller investors also gain access to interesting investment opportunities in the field of green investments makes this a win-win situation. I see this addition to the established bank financing as an important future trend within the capital market. By getting involved in Solar Millennium Invest AG, I have a chance to participate in shaping this new market. In my view, this is an innovative and future-oriented answer to the financial market crisis and the credit crunch."

Thomas Mayer adds: "By founding this subsidiary, Solar Millennium aims to deliberately distinguish itself from the grey capital market. We have voluntarily complied with the regulations and control of federal supervisory authorities, thereby creating a greater degree of transparency for our investors." As a financial services institution, Solar Millennium Invest AG is governed by the provisions set forth in the German Banking Act (KWG) and the German Securities Trading Act (WpHG). The Company is required to comply with strict transparency regulations and auditing standards. Quarterly figures, for instance, must be reported to the Bundesbank and the Bundesanstalt für Finanzdienstleistungsaufsicht (BaFin), who audit the annual financial statements and verify compliance with the Securities Act and must approve every new member of the Management Board. Moreover, the Company has become a compulsory member in the compensation scheme of the securities trading companies (EdW), which guarantees small investors in particular a minimum of protection against possible loss of their claims resulting from securities transactions.

Dr. Norbert Hagen, CEO of Solar Millennium Invest AG and, at the same time, spokesman of the Management Board of I.C.M. InvestmentBank AG in Berlin, Germany: "Solar Millennium Invest’s marketing activities rest upon Solar Millennium’s qualified base of >100,000 customers and interested investors, many of whom have been putting their trust in Solar Millennium for years. At first, we will only offer investment products associated with solar-thermal power plant projects developed by the experts at our parent company. In order to ensure the quality of our products, we have set high standards for customer communication and procedures. Our employees are subject to a demanding selection procedure and receive constant further training. Our conservative reimbursement scheme provides that our employees are not merely interested in short-term sales success."
Solar Millennium Invest also intends to involve more institutional investors in the financing of planned power plant projects. Thomas Mayer: "Now, for the first time, our Millennium financing concept also offers major institutional investors, for example so-called family offices or utilities, the opportunity to make ethical and ecological investments in the € 50-100 million range in the field of solar energy. As such, we’re planning another closed-end fund for Ibersol, our fourth Spanish power plant project. Additional projects are being prepared."

About Solar Millennium AG:

Solar Millennium AG, Erlangen, is an international company in the renewable energy sector, with its main focus on solar-thermal power plants. Together with its subsidiaries and associates, the Company specializes in parabolic trough power plants and has managed to take a globally leading position in this field. Solar Millennium strives to further extend its expertise in the area of solar-thermal power plants with the aim of achieving and securing sustainable technology leadership. As such, the Company covers all important business sectors along the value chain for solar-thermal power plants: from project development and financing to the technology and the turnkey construction and operation of power plants. In Spain, Solar Millennium developed Europe’s first parabolic trough power plants and realized these together with partners. Additional projects are planned around the world with an overall capacity of more than 2,000 megawatts: here the current regional focus is on Spain, the US, India, China, the Middle East and North Africa.

About Solar Millennium Invest AG:

The Company, headquartered in Erlangen, Germany, will take on the tasks of investment consulting and brokering corporate bonds, profit participation rights and limited liability fund shares for Solar Millennium AG. As a financial services company, Solar Millennium Invest is subject to the provisions set forth in the German Banking Act (KWG) and the German Securities Trading Act (WpHG). The Company was granted a license by the Bundesbank and the supervisory authority BaFin and must comply with the respective reporting and auditing requirements. Solar Millennium Invest AG is a member in the compensation scheme of the securities trading companies (EdW). A highly qualified in-house team of consultants ensures high communication standards in the constant dialogue with investors and interested parties. The Company shareholders are Solar Millennium AG (55%) and Prof. Gerke (45%) through an intermediary holding company. Dr. Norbert Hagen is the CEO, who simultaneously acts as spokesman of the Management Board of I.C.M. Investment Bank AG, Berlin. The Supervisory Board is headed by Thomas Mayer, CFO of Solar Millennium AG.

1. Solar Millennium Going Strong on the US market via Joint Venture with MAN Ferrostaal Inc.

     Controlling interest in Solar Trust of America, LLC, a newly formed integrated industrial solar solutions company with MAN Ferrostaal...

2. Solar Millennium Solar Thermal Power Investment Opportunity

   Solar Millennium offers an opportunity to participate in one of the world’s most advanced solar thermal power plants Sustainable and...

3. Green GECCO Joint Venture Grows

     AVU, ELE and rhenag strengthen the partnership for energy production from renewables Investments of about 1 billion euros planned...

4. Solar Millennium AG: HelioTrough collector awarded innovation prize by industry experts

   Majority of 650 CSP-Today conference attendees in San Francisco voted for HelioTrough in the innovation category Test results confirm the...