Awards and distinctions received in the reporting period:

Best Investor Relations in Germany (Börse Online), top position
In early 2008, the readers of the economic magazine ’Börse Online’ elected SOLARWORLD AG’s Investor Relations department the best of all TecDAX-listed companies. The survey focused on the credibility and comprehensibility of corporate communications.

Germany’s best employers 2008 (Great Place to Work Institute Deutschland), 57th position
Participating in the survey for the first time, SOLARWORLD was immediately put in a good 57th position. The ‘Germany’s best employers’ list was determined on the basis of standardized assessment criteria, the Great Place to Work Trust Index and a cultural audit among employees with HR responsibilities. Participation is voluntary. Any German or foreign company and any public or private organization employing at least 50 staff in Germany is entitled to take part.

Growth Strategy Leadership (Frost & Sullivan), top position
In the year under review, the top rank of the European Growth Strategy Leadership Award was awarded to SOLARWORLD asia pacific. The Frost & Sullivan consultancy awards this prize annually to honour a company that has strengthened its market position during the completed year and whose strategy has had a lasting impact on the market.

Best Practices in SD KPI ‘s (Deloitte), top position
In the year under review, SOLARWORLD AG was again honoured for its excellent reporting quality concerning Sustainable Development Key Performance Indicators (SD KPIs). We thus asserted our position vis-à-vis companies such as BASF or TUI. As early as in 2006, we already took top position in the best reporting list drawn up by the Deloitte consultancy and auditing company in the framework of a survey. As non-financial factors, the SD KPIs contribute substantially to a company’s success. In view of the capital market professionals, the SD KPIs mentioned in the survey are of particular relevance for the development of business, the current position and the expected development of the companies.

Best Marketing Company Award 2008 (BBDO Consulting), 3^rd position
SOLARWORLD was put in a very good third position in the Best Practice Marketing Award 2008. The chair for innovative brand management of Bremen University and BBDO Consulting had examined 282 listed companies for their ranking. They took account of both marketing and business performance. According to BBDO, SOLARWORLD showed a convincing performance in all application areas with top technology and quality leadership. The jury explained that the fully integrated solar value chain and the individual product brands reinforce the group’s market position.

CDU NRW Innovation Award
In 2008, the Christian Democratic Party (CDU) of North Rhine Westphalia (NRW) awarded the Future and Innovation Award 2008 to SOLARWORLD AG CEO Dipl.-Ing. Frank H. Asbeck. In the presence of federal chancellor Angela Merkel and state premier Jürgen Rüttgers, the CDU acknowledged Asbeck’s outstanding merits in promoting North Rhine Westphalia as a location for industry.

Online Investor Relations Benchmark 2007/2008 (NetFederation), 78^th position
The Online IR Benchmark examines the information offered on the IR websites of the 110 companies listed in the DAX, MDAX and TecDAX. The main assessment criteria are story, service, technology and design. SOLARWORLD was placed in 78th position in this ranking in the year under review.

The 10 largest German companies in terms of stock market capitalization (Handelsblatt), 58^th position
In 2008, SOLARWORLD clearly expanded its position year-on-year (2007: 64th position). Stock market capitalization is calculated as the number of shares of a company multiplied by the current stock price.

Best Annual Reports (manager magazin), 2^nd position (TecDAX )
In the year under review, we achieved a further improvement in the annual ranking for the best annual reports prepared by manager magazin. Following a third position in 2007 and a seventh position in 2006, we were put in a very good second position in the TecDAX category. The jury, chaired by Prof. Jörg Baetge from Münster University as its scientific expert, checked the annual reports of the largest German companies in the categories contents, style and language.

Deloitte Technology Fast 50 – Sustained Excellence Award (Deloitte), top three
For the first time, SOLARWORLD was presented the Sustained Excellence Award, together with two other companies, in 2008. This category serves to honour companies having shown long-term growth, in particular thanks to their innovation capability, entrepreneurial spirit and excellent performance. Apart from the Technology Fast 50 criteria, the areas assessed are management and corporate culture, competition edge or position and financial performance indicators. The assessment criterion is the average percentage sales growth in the last five financial years (2003 to 2007). In order for a company to qualify, a substantial part of its sales has to develop by itself. The award is presented by the Deloitte consultancy company.

Deloitte Technology Fast 50 Award (Deloitte), 17^th position
SOLARWORLD AG again ranked among the strongest-growth German technology companies in 2008 and was presented an award by the Deloitte consulting company. As in previous years, we were among the 50 most successful and most strongly expanding technology suppliers. In presenting the 2008 award, the jury honoured SOLARWORLD AG’s strong growth but in particular also its innovation capability, entrepreneurial spirit, employee motivation and financial success. The award was presented in cooperation with the Capital magazine, Deutsche Börse AG and the German Association for Financial Analysis and Asset Management (DVFA).

German Sustainability Award (AT Ke arney & BBDO Consulting), top position ‘most sustainable production’, Top 3 ‘most sustainable brand’
In the year under review, we were the only company to receive an award in two categories with the award for ‘Germany’s most sustainable production 2008’ and the nomination as ‘Germany’s most sustainable brand’. A total of 350 companies had taken part, half of which were DAX 30 companies. The Sustainability Award is presented to honour companies linking up economic success and social responsibility in an exemplary manner. The jury honoured the consistent orientation of SOLARWORLD AG to sustainable products, sustainable production and sustainable commitment. In addition, the company showed distinct social engagement, e.g. in the form of the Solar2World projects providing people in developing countries and emerging economies with clean and safe solar power. The initiators of the Sustainability Award include the Council for Sustainable Development, the Potsdam Research Institute for Climate Effects and the Wuppertal Institute. The jury consists of 15 experts, including Prof. Klaus Töpfer, former director of the UN Environmental Program and federal minister for the environment, and Dr. Volker Hauff, chairman of the Council for Sustainable Development.

Germany’s strongest-growth companies (Bain & Company), top position
SOLARWORLD AG is Germany’s fastest-growing company 2008 (2006: 11th position). This is the result of a survey covering 280 listed companies by the Bain & Company consultancy. Aspects particularly honoured were the company’s concentration on its core business, solar power technology, and the fact that it covers the entire value chain from raw material silicon all the way to finished solar modules. The survey also covered return, return on equity, growth and sales factors.

Calendar year 2008 (1 Jan. 2008 – 31 Dec. 2008) = fiscal year 2008

Calendar year 2007 (1 Jan. 2007 – 31 Dec. 2007)

Annual

IR department

Materiality: Materiality is determined by the economic, environmental and social/societal impact of the various topics and indicators. Disclosure is practiced for the purpose of informing stakeholders. It includes the topics and indicators which significantly influence the assessments and attitudes of stakeholders. We assume in principle that all Core Indicators contain significant information for the stakeholders in all organizations. Regarding Additional Indicators, the data available were not sufficient in some cases. The other indicators were not considered relevant.
The following chart shows that the Annual Report covers topics of equally high priority for society and the company. Disclosures on the remaining issues are provided in the present Annex to the Annual Group Report for fiscal year 2008.

Priorities: We have included the Core Indicators to the extent possible in the light of the current data situation. In some cases we have internal data available which we are not able to disclose because they include confidential information. We are making every effort to further increase the transparency of our GRI reporting. Concerning the joint ventures, we do not yet have sufficiently detailed statistical data available. This is partly due to the fact that the joint ventures have only just started to gain relevance, e.g. our silicon production by joint solar silicon (jssi).

Stakeholders: The main stakeholder groups who will use the present report are investors (shareholders, institutional investors, analysts as intermediaries). In addition, the report will serve to inform employees and customers (wholesalers, installers, final customers) and suppliers of the SOLARWORLD group. It will also be a source of information for the interested public.

The general reporting boundary comprises the group with all its subsidiaries. Organizational units are included where we exercise control and substantial influence on such units. Upstream and downstream stages of the value chain outside the SOLARWORLD group are included only to a limited degree, due to lack of control and influence. Any reporting boundaries that depart from this principle are indicated for each individual point of the GRI. Control is the power to govern the financial and operating policies of an enterprise so as to obtain benefits from its activities (GRI). A significant influence is the power to participate in the financial and operating policy decisions of the entity but is not control over those policies (GRI).

Thus, the management approach also covers SCHEUTEN SOLARWORLD SOLICIUM GmbH und co. kg as well as SOLARWORLD KOREA LTD., while the strategic information of this report also includes joint solar silicon (jssi) verwaltungs-GmbH as well as SOLARPARC AG.

Limitations on scope are currently set by the reasons indicated. 3.5 Priorities
Further details are stressed for the individual indicators.

Subsidiaries and leased facilities are included as a matter of principle. Joint ventures are included only where we exercise control and significant influence over these entities with respect to the indicator in question. Outsourced activities are not included (e.g. logistics companies). The report boundaries were kept constant as far as possible as against the previous year so as to guarantee comparability of the reporting periods and disclosures for different organizations. Departures from this principle are marked. The results are representative of the group, or are interpreted accordingly.

The GRI Indicator Protocols were used in reporting.

In contrast to the previous year, we included information on corporate risks, corporate opportunities, targets achieved in 2008 and targets for 2009+ as well as governance mechanisms in the management report and adjusted the form of presentation.

65% of our Swedish subsidiary Gällivare PhotoVoltaic AB (GPV) was sold to Borevind AB. The present report will therefore no longer comprise any disclosures on this company. Our site in Munich (17 employees) was closed in 2008. No further changes of this type were effected in comparison with 2007.

The present report, the group management report and the financial statements were subjected to an auditing review by BDO Deutsche Warentreuhand AG Wirtschaftsprüfungsgesellschaft. Auditor‘s Confirmation

Compensation for members of the Executive Board, senior executives and the members of top management is based on individual target agreements. Our integrated sustainability management Corporate Management and Control thus also comprises sustainability aspects, but there is no separate compensation component Compensation Report

Conflicts of interest are avoided by the fact that the Executive Board has set up an Ethics Council alongside the Strategy Council dealing with issues of sustainable and ethical management. Corporate Management and Control Corporate Governance 4.16 SO1 As of 2009, SOLARWORLD will also nominate an ombudsman who may also be involved in the event of clashes of interests.

The CEO, Frank H. Asbeck, holds a degree in agricultural engineering. He was involved in development projects in Africa before setting up SOLARWORLD AG. He is a founding member of the Green Party. Philipp Koecke (Dipl.-Kfm. tech.) joined SOLARWORLD AG after working in the finance and banking sector for a number of years. Boris Klebensberger (Dipl.-Ing.) joined SOLARWORLD AG at about the time when he was finishing his degree studies. Since then he has been working intensely on matters such as improvements in production processes. Frank Henn (Dipl.-Wirtschaftsing.) has many years of experience in sales and marketing in multinational companies.

Our vision, our strategy and our Code of Conduct reflect our models in terms of economic, environmental and social/societal aspects. These models are applicable throughout the group and are implemented via our quality management and environmental management (ISO standards), our sustainability management and by exemplary behaviour on the part of our senior executives. Corporate Management and Control Human Resources Quality and Environmental Management

We started establishing integrated sustainability management in 2007 and further developed it in 2008. Our environmental management according to ISO 14001 was introduced at our Bonn and Freiberg sites in 2007 and verified for the first time in 2008. Opportunities and risks are covered by our risk management. In 2008 we further developed our Code of Conduct. We have also based our report on the GRI reporting framework for the second time this year. Our sustainability performance is thus determined on an annual basis. Human Resources Opportunities Risk Report Quality and Environmental Management

The performance of the members of the Executive Board is assessed on the basis of individual performance agreements. Our integrated sustainability management Corporate Management and Control thus also covers sustainability aspects, but there is no separate performance assessment in this respect. Corporate Governance

Our organization addresses the precautionary principle via our risk management, our quality and environmental management and our sustainability management. This basic orientation is also underscored by our voluntary disclosures such as GRI reporting and participation in the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP). The SOLARWORLD Stock  Corporate Management and Control  Opportunities  Risk Report  Quality and Environmental Management

The stakeholder groups involved in the decisions taken by SOLARWORLD are employees and customers (wholesalers, installers, final customers) and suppliers of the SOLARWORLD group. Investors (shareholders, investors) do not represent stakeholders in the strict sense of the term but are included as stakeholders in this section. Analysts and brokers as intermediaries are also included here. Stakeholders also comprise governments, municipalities, local authorities and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) as well as the interested public.

In the reporting period, there were no extraordinary questions or concerns regarding the sustainability of our business operations not covered under other items of our GRI reporting.