PV manufacturer in Germany
Meyer Burger is interested in Habeck’s solar plan
6/26/2023, 6:29 p.m
Meyer Burger manufactures solar panels in Saxony and Saxony-Anhalt. The Swiss company recently threatened to relocate to the USA – where the conditions for green industry are better. Habeck may be able to keep the company in Germany after all.
Manufacturer Meyer Burger is interested in the federal government’s announced support for the domestic solar industry. Managing Director Gunter Erfurt spoke of an important step “to reduce Germany’s massive dependence on the energy supply of the future”. The company is now examining the expression of interest procedure and its conditions. The expectation is that the local solar industry will be able to have fair and reliable competitive conditions in the manufacture of solar cells and solar modules in the long term, Erfurt said on request.
The Swiss company has production facilities in Saxony and Saxony-Anhalt. Solar cells and solar modules are manufactured there. Erfurt recently criticized a significant imbalance in the conditions for the industry between Germany and the USA or China and threatened to cancel planned investments in Germany and relocate them to the USA. In addition, reference was made to far better funding conditions overseas.
On Friday, the Federal Ministry of Economics announced funding for solar companies that are building or expanding capacities. In a first step, an expression of interest procedure for investment cost funding is started. The industry should be supported in this way to permanently set up photovoltaic production in Germany. According to the information, grants are to be granted up to the amount that an equivalent investment project in a non-EU country would demonstrably receive in order to prevent distortions of competition.