A large manufacturer of solar modules is once again rethinking its production in Germany. Production is on hold for now.
First Meyer Burger, now Solarwatt: Due to poor conditions, the company wants to temporarily stop the production of solar modules in Dresden in the summer. As Solarwatt announced in Dresden, production with a capacity of 300 megawatts is to be stopped at the end of August.
“The aggressive cut-throat competition in the solar industry leaves us no other choice,” said managing director Detlef Neuhaus. However, the experience in the development and optimization of photovoltaic hardware should remain at the Dresden location. If market conditions improve again, production can be resumed quickly.
Accordingly, the suspension of German production affects around 190 employees. According to its own information, the company wants to offer a takeover offer to as many employees as possible – for example as fitters, service employees or planners. Solarwatt employs 750 people across Europe, including 650 in Germany.
German companies have been complaining for a long time about competition from cheap modules from China. At the end of March, for example, Meyer Burger finally closed its location in Freiberg, Saxony. The approximately 500 employees were laid off.
Habeck wants to fight for the solar industry in Germany
Robert Habeck (Greens) reacted to Solarwatt’s announcement after a meeting with medium-sized companies in Frankfurt. The Federal Minister of Economics is not yet giving up the fight to preserve the solar industry in Germany.
Habeck said he would have liked the solar package passed last week to have included a resilience bonus, a “small allowance” for sustainable German production. This would have reduced the price difference to Chinese solar panels and then kept these companies in the market. “That wasn’t possible now,” said Habeck, referring to the FDP, which had rejected such a bonus.
Habeck has now announced the rapid implementation of the EU’s so-called Net Zero Industry Act in order to strengthen the competitiveness of the solar industry. This stipulates certain production shares for renewable energies in Europe. “We actually have a year and a half. We will now try to do this more quickly,” said the minister. “I hope that companies will hold out until then.”
Source: Stern
