AUBURN HILLS, Mich., April 12, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- United Solar, the global manufacturer of UNI-SOLAR® lightweight, flexible solar products and a wholly owned subsidiary of Energy Conversion Devices, Inc. (ECD) (OTC:ENERQ.PK), is proud to announce that the UNI-SOLAR powered Solar Fidelity (so-fi®) Bag has won the esteemed Red Dot Award 2012 for Product Design in the fashion, lifestyle and accessories category.

The so-fi® M Azzurro bag, designed by GOpro! Creative Marketing GmbH, was chosen for this coveted award due to its innovative concept, and high quality design and workmanship. The so-fi® lifestyle messenger bags are integrated with UNI-SOLAR lightweight, flexible photovoltaic (PV) cells to harness the energy of the sun and provide unlimited extended power to the charging unit located inside the bag. This charger can power smart phones, tablet PCs, MP3 players, digital cameras, portable navigation devices and more. As a winner, the so-fi®     M Azzurro Bag will now feature the renowned "Red Dot" symbol, be featured in the Red Dot yearbook, and be on display at the Red Dot museum. 

"United Solar is very proud of this great achievement awarded to the so-fi® bag design," said Ed Sosnowski, United Solar's Project Manager for Open Solar. "The enhanced design and integration of UNI-SOLAR cells makes the bag a truly unique product, and is a perfect demonstration of sustainability in consumer products."

"Winning this prestigious award is a thrilling success for our brand," says Rafael Kubisz, creator of so-fi ® products and owner of GOpro! Creative Marketing GmbH. "With United Solar's technology we foresee the launch of many other products for the consumer market and believe in a great upcoming future for both of our companies. Our target is to position so-fi® as a leading brand for portable energy generating consumer products with sustainable performance, true communication and great usability. This is what 'solar fidelity' stands for."

The Red Dot awards are internationally recognized as a symbol of achievement in quality and design. Three categories including product design, communications design, and design concept are assessed by a jury of design experts. The products are evaluated based on a given set of criteria: degree of innovation, functionality, ergonomics, self-explanatory quality, formal quality, ecological compatibility, durability, symbolic and emotional content, and product periphery. This year's competition saw more entries than ever before with over 4,500 designs submitted in the product design category alone.

UNI-SOLAR powered so-fi ® products are available online at www.so-fi.com.

United Solar has more than 25 years experience in the solar industry, is the largest manufacturer of lightweight flexible solar panels in the world and has been awarded nearly 70 United States patents for various technological advancements.

About United Solar/UNI-SOLAR®

United Solar has been a global leader in building-integrated and rooftop photovoltaics for over 25 years. The company manufactures, sells and installs thin-film solar laminates that convert sunlight into clean, renewable energy using proprietary technology for which the company has been awarded over 70 U.S. patents. UNI-SOLAR® brand products are unique because of their flexibility, light weight, ease of installation, durability, and real-world energy production. For more information on United Solar visit uni-solar.com or follow UNI-SOLAR on Facebook.com/unisolar and Twitter.com/uni_solar.

United Solar and its parent company Energy Conversion Devices, Inc., on February 14, 2012 filed voluntary petitions for Chapter 11 reorganization in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court the Eastern District of Michigan. More information about the Chapter 11 filing is available on the Internet at http://www.energyconversiondevices.com/restructuring.php.

About so-fi® "solar fidelity" (GOpro! Creative Marketing GmbH)

so-fi® (solar fidelity) is a brand created by GOpro! Creative Marketing GmbH. The company was established in 2000 in Vienna, Austria. It is focused on creating high-end incentive products for recognized Austrian brands and product scouting for brand distributors. In 2005 the owner of GOpro! Creative Marketing GmbH, Rafael Kubisz, started to develop bags with integrated solar cells. The prototypes had been put through extensive field test before the first serial products hit the Austrian market in late 2010. In early 2011 the brand so-fi® was registered and 6 different bag models as well as 1 portable, foldable solar panel and two power banks were added to the product line, all of which are copyright protected. In addition, the development of the world's first solar self-powered, portable audio loudspeaker began. For this product an international patent is currently pending. The loudspeaker will be launched in Austria shortly. so-fi® products have a self-developed, patented system built-in that allows for solar panels to be integrated into consumer products.www.so-fi.com.

distributed by