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Solar Energy

Europe needs new cell and module plants

April 24, 2025 ryansheehanrts

Traditionally, the industry meeting in Bad Staffelstein focuses on advances in solar modules and system technology. This year, its 40th edition centred on bringing solar plant production back to Europe – with Germany in the spotlight. After all, it was forty years ago that Germany brought solar cells and modules to the point of mass production.

For a time, Germany held the lead in solar development.

Twenty-five years ago, German producers set the pace in solar manufacturing. Bitterfeld, Freiburg, Dresden, Erfurt and Berlin were home to pioneers like Q-Cells, Solar Fabrik, Solarwatt, Ersol, and Solon. With the EEG, a new and hopeful sector began to emerge. Then, in 2010 and 2011, the black-yellow coalition abruptly cut the feed-in tariff, resulting in the collapse of the German manufacturers.

Fraunhofer ISE: Solar module output often overstated

The Chinese, by contrast, recognised the opportunity – and received substantial support from Beijing. Gradually, by lowering prices, they increased their market share. “This is why prices are currently very low,” says Andreas Bett, head of Fraunhofer ISE in Freiburg. “In some cases, they are below the manufacturing costs of the Chinese suppliers.”

Total dominance of Chinese manufacturers

Today, it’s no exaggeration to say that the Chinese dominate the solar market. In Bett’s view, 99 percent of wafers and 90 percent of cells are manufactured in the Far East. Back in 2010, Beijing recognised that to dominate the global market, it needed to build up production over the long term.

Spain – Europe’s sun-drenched hotspot

As a long-term strategy, this has clearly worked. In Germany, political resistance has severely damaged the domestic solar industry. Now, however, the EU is taking countermeasures.

An unhealthy dependence

For technical, economic, and political reasons, Europe’s dependence on China is extremely unhealthy. A new directive stipulates that 40 percent of new construction in Europe must come from domestic production. “The European solar market is developing well,” says Robert Mändel, founder and CEO of Opes Solar Mobility. “There are new opportunities for European manufacturers.”

Greenpeace and SolarPower Europe collaborate to accelerate solar PV in Ukraine

In 2012, Mändel founded a company in China to produce small solar modules for off-grid use – charging smartphones, laptops, for caravans and camping, or as generators for street lighting. “Around 600,000 modules leave our fully automated factory in China every month,” he says. “We offer around 100 different products.”

New plant in Zwenkau by Leipzig

Opes is now setting up a factory in Zwenkau, Saxony, not far from Leipzig. The focus will be on vehicle applications, which significantly extend the service life of on-board batteries and offer an economically attractive business model.

More on Opes: Smarter E AWARD 2025: Energy transition pioneers shortlisted

A team of 25 was assembled over the course of 2024, and machines are now being delivered and installed – from both China and Germany. “We will begin the ramp-up at the end of the second quarter,” says the experienced solar manager. “Series production will start in the third quarter, and we plan to grow the workforce to 125.”

Conquering niche markets

The modules now coming off the line in Zwenkau are niche products with little to no competition from China. They’re primarily used by vehicle manufacturers and suppliers in the truck and van sector.

The new plant aims to produce between 250 and 300 megawatts annually. Opes Solar Mobility is also working on improving system integration – specifically, how solar modules are incorporated into the vehicle surface and electrical system.

Perovskites to enable new applications for photovoltaics

April 17, 2025 ryansheehanrts

The new IDTechEx report, Perovskite Photovoltaic Market 2025-2035: Technologies, Players & Trends, focuses on the growing perovskite photovoltaics market. By analysing key application areas, it forecasts that annual perovskite installations could reach nearly 85 gigawatts by 2035.

Market launch of perovskite-silicon tandem solar cells expected in the near future

Perovskite solar cells feature an active perovskite layer that can be deposited as a thin film through solution-based layer-by-layer or roll-to-roll processes. This makes them financially attractive as the processing methods are highly scalable and automated. However, experts in the industry acknowledge that considerable research is still required. Forexample, perovskites are not yet durable enough for widespread large-scale use, as they degrade significantly when exposed to moisture, air and UV light. To mitigate this, high-quality encapsulation is crucial to ensure the longevity of perovskite solar cells.

Tandem solar cells of perovskites and silicon

Perovskite solar cells are therefore increasingly seen as a cost-effective complement to conventional silicon solar cells. According to analyst Maia Benstead of IDTechEx, tandem solar cells made of perovskite and silicon will account for the largest share of the total perovskite market. “In particular, significant growth is expected in the early years,” says Benstead.

IDTecxhEx

Wireless electronics could boost thin-film perovskites.

According to the report, sales of perovskite technology alone will reach almost 12 billion US dollars by 2035. Among the notable players currently developing perovskite modules are the Polish company Saule Technologies, several Chinese companies including Microquanta and Renshine Solar, and the Japanese companies Sekisui Chemical and Panasonic.

In an effort to further improve the efficiency of conventional Si-based solar cells, researchers are exploring the integration of perovskite solar cells with silicon solar cells in a tandem architecture. These multi-junction solar cells have a much higher theoretical efficiency of around 43 per cent. In summer 2024, a record efficiency of 34.6 per cent was achieved in Longi’s laboratory. Oxford PV has even started mass production of tandem modules in Brandenburg.

Thin-film perovskites interesting for wireless electronics

The market for wireless electronics, the Internet of Things (IoT), is therefore developing into an important application area for thin-film perovskites. The number of IoT devices will increase rapidly over the next ten years. Interest is growing in the wireless indoor power generation to supply these devices, such as smoke detectors, motion sensors and small electronic displays.

Perovskite: the next major solar technology?

Powering these devices with small, low-cost solar panels that last longer than batteries is a promising application. Several companies are already developing perovskite PV for small electronic devices, including Saule Technologies and Perovskia, which are currently seeking to expand their production capacity. (nhp/hcn)

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Solar Energy

TOPCon to surpass PERC in coming years

April 16, 2025 ryansheehanrts

In 2024, the global solar photovoltaic market reached a record 703 gigawatts (GW) in shipments and 566 GW installed. Due to overcapacity in the module market and technological advancements, the weighted average solar module spot price fell by 33% year-on-year (YoY) to $0.08/W by the end of 2024.

March 2025 PV Index: Stability persists as stock levels tighten

The ITRPV report tracks the price experience curve, namely the average PV module sales price as a function of cumulative shipments, and this indicates a 25.6 percent learning rate from 1976 to 2024. This learning rate reflects the impact of technological advancements as well as severe market conditions on prices.

Silicon-based photovoltaics technology advancements

Crystalline silicon photovoltaics dominated around 98% of the market share in 2024, with thin-film technology making up the remaining portion. Within the silicon-based PV market, monocrystalline Czochralski silicon (Cz-Si) wafers lead, with n-type wafers now accounting for about 70%, surpassing p-type materials. This shift is driven by the growth of n-type TOPCon technology, which for the first time overtakes p-type PERC, according to GW-scale manufacturers that contributed to the report.

Longi upgrades Lighthouse factory for HPBC 2.0

Silicon heterojunction (SHJ), back contact (BC) cells, TOPCon-based back contact (TBC) and heterojunction-based back contact (HBC) are expected to gain market share. Mass-produced tandem-silicon cells are anticipated to have a double-digit market share in 10 years based on the survey results. Large wafer formats M10 and G12 with their rectangular variations dominate. G12 (i.e, with wafer side length 210 mm) and G12(R) formats are expected to account for approximately 75 percent of the market by 2035.

Formats larger than G12 are projected to reach nearly 10 percent, while the rectangular M10 format is anticipated to maintain a market share of around 15 percent. Accordingly, newly built cell production lines will be designed to accommodate these formats, and are expected to be prepared for the integration of larger than G12 formats.

90 percent market share for bifacial solar cells anticipated

Bifacial solar cells are expected to capture around 90% of the market share, with projections indicating this will rise to 95% over the next decade. Significant advancements are being made in reducing material consumption across various technology routes, including lowering polysilicon usage through wafer thickness reduction, cutting silver consumption through fine line printing, and incorporating copper in metallisation. Equipment throughput values are also expected to continue rising in the coming decade.

Expert analysis: How perovskite can overcome durability concerns

N-type TOPCon cells, homogeneous emitters with Laser Enhanced Contact Optimization (LECO) dominate the market with around 60 percent share in 2024, projected to rise to nearly 87 percent by 2035. Selective emitters use declines with non-LECO variants phasing out by 2027. Edge passivation of separated solar cells by deposition processes also gain importance for half cells or smaller, dominating the market in a decade.

Larger modules dominate the market

At the module level, copper interconnection is projected to continue dominating the market for cell-to-cell and string interconnection. For rooftop installations, modules larger than 2.0 m² are expected to gain a higher market share starting in 2025, while those between 1.8 and 2.0 m² will maintain the largest share. Smaller modules under 1.8 m² will see their market share decline to below 6 percent over the next three years.

TÜV Rheinland: Increasing requirements for solar modules

The module size trends for large-scale ground-mounted installations, like power plants, show a stronger shift toward larger modules compared to rooftop residential applications. Modules smaller than 2.5 m² are expected to remain niche, while those between 2.5 and 3.0 m² will dominate the power plant market. Larger power plant modules exceeding 3 m² are projected to capture about 25 percent of the market share in the next 10 years.

Smaller module fabs for specialized applications and regional markets

The trend in module production fabs mirrors that of cell production, with factories exceeding 5 GW in annual capacity expected to dominate the future production landscape. However, smaller module fabs with capacities under 5 GW, and even under 1 GW, are expected to remain operational for specialised applications and regional markets for the next decade. Smart fabrication topics are seeing batch tracking dominate, with an increase in single piece tracking in manufacturing.

Industry 4.0 is shaping cell production through four automation levels, from fully connected fabs (Level 1) to autonomous decision-making fabs (Level 4), with higher levels incorporating all lower ones. In 2024, Level 1 dominated with a 78 percent share, but Levels 2 and 3 are expected to take the lead by 2035. Level 4 will begin entering the market from 2029, with gradual adoption.

Join our Live Events at The smarter E Europe 2025 in Munich

The 16th edition of the ITRPV questionnaire is surveyed on a digital interactive platform that automates the analysis process of data contributions. The International Technology Roadmap for Photovoltaics (ITRPV) is updated regularly by the VDMA Photovoltaics. (hcn)

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Solar Energy

How perovskite can overcome durability concerns

April 15, 2025 ryansheehanrts

Commercial silicon solar panels typically have lifetimes between 20 and 25 years, setting a benchmark for competing photovoltaic (PV) technologies. To compete to the same degree, alternative PV solutions must demonstrate comparable longevity. Among these, perovskite PV has garnered significant industry interest due to its high efficiency, scalable manufacturing and relatively low material costs.

However, durability challenges have long stalled its commercialisation. Now, several pilot and small commercial scale perovskite solar projects are underway, with many companies achieving panel lifetimes over 10 years and steadily bridging the gap to the 25-year target. But what material advancements have driven this progress in extending perovskite PV device lifetimes?

Severe impacts of degradation

Under operational conditions, PV modules are regularly exposed to strong light intensity, humidity, rain and extreme weather conditions. To ensure long-term performance, solar panels must withstand these harsh environments with minimal degradation.

Also see: Perovskite: the next major solar technology?

Perovskite PV devices, however, have historically suffered from stability issues when exposed to atmospheric conditions, which has hindered market adoption and led to skepticism about their reliability. Yet, advancements in materials science have significantly improved perovskite PV durability, paving the way for commercialisation.

Perovskite solar cell degradation can be categorised as either intrinsic or extrinsic. Intrinsic degradation stems from material defects and ion migration, while extrinsic degradation results from environmental factors such as heat, moisture, oxygen and UV radiation. Both types of degradation can severely impact the electronic and optical properties of the cell, altering its chemistry and causing structural changes in the perovskite film.

IDTechEx

Factors causing the degradation of perovskites and methods to overcome them.

To enhance long-term durability, researchers have focused on improving intrinsic stability through material engineering. This includes altering of the chemical compositions to increase ion migration resistance, enhance crystal stability and reduce defect density. Alloying either at the A-site cation or X-site anion can mitigate strain and distortion or fine-tune the material bandgap, respectively.

Tailwind for the commercialisation of perovskites

While these modifications improve stability, they may also alter optical properties and reduce light absorption. Striking a balance between material stability and performance is crucial, but external encapsulation offers a solution that minimises this trade-off.

High-quaility encapsulation as an effective measure

High-quality encapsulation remains the most effective strategy for boosting perovskite PV durability while maintaining high power conversion efficiencies (PCE). Glass-glass encapsulation, a well-established method used in silicon solar panels, provides strong protection by sealing the cell between two layers of glass.

This approach is particularly suited for rigid perovskite/silicon tandem devices, where it has already demonstrated decades of projected durability for the use in traditional silicon solar panels. Exact details of the encapsulant have not been disclosed, but companies such as Tandem PV have reportedly demonstrated the equivalent of decades of projected durability in the lab, and Oxford PV’s tandem solar panels have reportedly passed all key IEC reliability tests.

Market launch of perovskite-silicon tandem solar cells expected in the near future

To allow for flexible and thin-film devices, polymer encapsulants or emerging thin film encapsulants may be employed. Polymer encapsulation materials have been extensively studied and are commercially available for use in OLED devices. Ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA) is the most common encapsulant in the photovoltaics industry due to its extensive use in silicon module encapsulation.

Is a 25 -year lifetime necessary?

It is cheap and has good optical transmittance; however, it is known that acetic acid can be released over time as a chemical by-product, which degrades the efficiency. Additionally, its water vapour transmission rate (WVTR) is considered too high for perovskite solar cells, allowing for water ingress and degradation to the cell. Alternative polymers, such as polyisobutylene (PIB) and butyl rubber show promise, although they have been less extensively studied.

Perovskites will enable new applications for photovoltaics

Thin-film encapsulation is an emerging alternative for flexible device fabrication. Thin film encapsulants include aluminum oxide, tin oxide, titanium oxide, silicon oxide and silicon nitride. These materials have already been tested in OLED manufacturing and are compatible with existing production equipment, supporting scalable manufacturing for perovskite PV.

In a rapidly developing technological environment, is a 20- to 25-year lifetime even necessary? Residential silicon solar panels typically have a return on investment (ROI) of 8-12 years against their 20 to 25-year lifetime. Providing the ROI is much lower than the technology lifetime, then perovskite durability may not pose as much of an issue.

Companies such as Power Roll have developed a novel device architecture that is roll-to-roll compatible with significantly reduced manufacturing costs compared to silicon solar. Their modules have a projected lifetime of 10-15 years, with the company targeting a 2- to 3-year ROI, making them an attractive alternative for rapidly advancing technological markets.

See the IDTechEx report for more information

Ultimately, perovskite stability may not be as limiting to commercialisation as once thought. Several perovskite PV products are already available, with further market expansion on the horizon. (Maia Benstead/hcn)

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Solar Energy

SolarPower Europe and NSEFI collaborate to diversify solar value chains

April 14, 2025 ryansheehanrts

India stands as one of the largest and most dynamic solar markets globally, with many European companies establishing a strong presence in the country. While European solar manufacturers bring valuable expertise, including on-site support, high-yield performance, and reliable customer service, India has proven its capability in developing a robust domestic manufacturing market.

In response, SolarPower Europe and NSEFI have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to deepen EU-India cooperation and diversify solar supply chains. Their collaboration will focus on identifying business and financing opportunities for manufacturing projects, while promoting knowledge exchange and capacity building between the two regions. The associations will also work together on regulatory matters, supporting each other in addressing market access issues for solar equipment and engaging with policymakers to explore opportunities that will strengthen EU-India solar manufacturing cooperation.

Embedded in the India-EU Clean Energy and Climate Partnership

The MoU aligns with the India-EU Clean Energy and Climate Partnership (CECP) and supports the recent commitment by President Modi and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to strengthen India-EU cooperation on clean energy and supply chains.

SolarPower Europe: High potential of European PV manufacturers

Máté Heisz, Chief Operating Officer at SolarPower Europe: “The EU and India are important partners in clean tech. EU legislation, like the Net-Zero Industry Act, and the new European competitiveness agenda is driving demand for resilient solar products at home. India plays a critical role in the diversification of the global solar value chain. Our renewed partnership with NSEFI will help unlock market opportunities for European companies, including equipment providers, manufacturers, as well as developers, and support India in delivering on its solar growth goals.”

TÜV Rheinland: Increasing requirements for solar modules

“India and the EU are natural allies in the global clean energy journey. As India accelerates toward its 500 GW non-fossil fuel milestone by 2030, India is also set to become global solar manufacturing hub. Our strengthened partnership with SolarPower Europe will unlock new pathways for innovation, cross-border investment, and resilient value chains especially in upstream manufacturing, laying the foundation for a cleaner, more secure, and self-reliant energy future that serves not just our regions, but the world”, Subrahmanyam Pulipaka, Chief Executive Officer at NSEFI , said.

SolarPower Europe: New export initiative for European-made solar products

The renewed partnership follows the launch of SolarPower Europe’s International Solar Manufacturing Initiative (ISMI). ISMI acts as a vehicle to create joint opportunities and co-operation between European manufacturers (especially solar equipment providers) and solar manufacturers in EU partner countries, among them India. (hcn)

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Solar Energy

the solar market in motion

April 8, 2025 ryansheehanrts

“We’ve seen that polysilicon prices have remained fairly stable over the past week, even though the sentiment was somewhat weaker a few weeks ago,” says Gerard Scheper. “Polysilicon producers are under increasing pressure due to rising inventories, partly because wafer manufacturers are struggling to ramp up production. This contributes to maintaining price stability.”

Export value of modules under pressure

According to Scheper, several market sources recently reported a sharp decline in the export value of PV modules in February. “The figures clearly show a drop,” confirms Scheper. “With an export value of 10.364 billion yuan, this represents a 28.10% decrease compared to January. Cumulatively for 2025, we also see a decline of 34.60% compared to the same period last year.”

Next investor newsletter – hybrid systems with storage and wind

This downturn can be partly explained by a seasonal dip in export activity, but Scheper also points to structural factors such as increased competition and changing regulations: “We’ll have to wait and see how the market recovers.”

Rising cell prices due to production growth

“Despite the export drop, we’re seeing an interesting development on the production side,” says Scheper. “Topcon183 and Topcon210 cells have increased in price from 0.3 to 0.31 yuan per watt. That may seem small, but at scale it has a significant impact. Topcon210R remained stable at 0.34 yuan.”

Expert analysis: Is the market optimism justified?

Wafers have also become more expensive. “This price increase is partly due to external factors such as earthquakes, prompting major producers to raise prices again,” Scheper explains.

For a free WoS Market Outlook Report on solar and battery storage, register here

Regarding solar cell production, Scheper notes: “For April, 63 to 64 GW of planned production is expected – over 13% higher than last month. This maintains strong demand for solar cells. But the bottleneck is currently with wafer manufacturers, who can hardly expand capacity due to challenges in production planning and hiring new staff. This has somewhat slowed growth, limiting supply and keeping prices high.”

Outlook: slight increase with possible correction

Scheper concludes with his outlook for the coming months: “All in all, we see a strengthening market. My expectation is that this trend will continue through the end of May, which is the deadline for connecting all projects to the grid. After that, we may see a slight decline in demand, leading to a downward price trend.” Accordingly, companies in the sector should make the most of this period. “Those who anticipate the peak now can gain a strategic advantage before the market corrects again.” (hcn)

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Solar Energy

French panel manufacturer Heliup wins European Solar Startup Award 2025

March 31, 2025 ryansheehanrts

French manufacturer Heliup have been crowned the Gold European Solar Startup Award 2025 winner for it’s pioneering range of stykon solar PV panels for flat rooftops. Their panels are light-weight weighing 5 kg/m2, have an efficiency of 20%, are resistant to extreme weather conditions, made in Europe, and have an easy and fast installation process.
The European Solar Startup Award is an annual prize presented by SolarPower Europe in recognition of the ground-breaking steps that solar innovators are taking towards a renewable-based energy system.

Start-ups set the agenda at the smarter E Europe 2025

Yannick Veschetti, President & Co-founder of Heliup, presented the company’s pitch alongside his co-finalists. Attendees voted on their favourite projects, and following a final vote, emerged victorious.

In his presentation, Veschetti highlighted how currently there is over 4 billion m² of available large rooftop space in the EU, and how Heliup wants to harness the potential of this available rooftop space, and fast-track solar installations across Europe.

Smarter E AWARD 2025: Energy transition pioneers shortlisted

“We are honoured to receive the Gold European Solar Startup Award. This recognition highlights Heliup’s commitment to revolutionising solar energy with lightweight solutions manufactured in Europe that unlock the potential of commercial and industrial rooftops”, Yannick Veschetti said;

Strengthen Europe’s competitiveness

“At SolarPower Europe, we’ve always believed in the importance of supporting the brightest solar startups. Only with these forward-thinking innovators can we strengthen Europe’s competitiveness and guarantee a swift energy transition. Innovative solar startups like Heliup will be critical to the future growth of the solar sector, and shaping our solar-powered future”, Walburga Hemetsberger, CEO of SolarPower Europe said.

SolarPower Europe extends its reach to storage and flexibility

Three Solar Startup finalists were nominated by the expert panel following a successful online pitch. Alongside Heliup Gautier Moulin, Co-founder and Chief Operating Officer at Aevy, and Felix Heimke, Senior Product Manager at Suena, presented their work on stage at the SolarPower Summit 2025.

The European Solar Startup Award 2025 jury panel was comprised of: Jenny Chase, Solar Analyst at BloombergNEF; Stefan Müeller, Co-Founder, Shareholder and Board Member at Enerparc AG; Felix Krause, Managing Partner at Vireo Ventures; and Michael Schmela, Director of Market Intelligence at SolarPower Europe. (hcn)

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Solar Energy

Christian Carraro from SolarEdge: “Going ever-cheaper is high-risk”

March 12, 2025 ryansheehanrts

How was SolarEdge’s performance in Europe in 2024?

Christian Carraro: 2024 was a challenging year, not only for us but for the whole industry. We saw contraction in some markets, and others have shown stagnation. Some markets grew a little. Generally speaking, the economy had a difficult time with high interest rates and high inflation. There were also political uncertainties. Ultimately, the result was reluctance to invest.

Also of interest: Michal Marona of SolarEdge: „A market with lots of potential“

And there were dumping prices from Chinese competitors. How difficult was that for you?

Price competition is a consistently interesting topic in our line of work. When markets contract, we have always experienced strong price pressure. In previous years, such as in 2022 and 2023, there was very high demand for inverters and low availability. All factories were running at full capacity. Now the situation has reversed. The steep price decline might have been tougher for us than for others, as we offer a premium product for maximised energy. However, I am sure that we made the right decisions to streamline production and reduce costs. We built a new production line and invested in new manufacturing sites in the U.S. leveraging IRA tax incentives. This has allowed us to offer powerful, high-quality technology at a competitive price point to lower-cost PV.

SolarEdge appoints Shuki Nir as new CEO

The U.S. market will change dramatically with the new president, I guess. Let us talk about Europe: How important is the business here for SolarEdge?

Europe remains very strong in our worldwide business. We kept our market share up in 2024. We supplied our customers and were able to maintain our position in a tough market. 2025 will be a whole new challenge of course, but I see a bright future. Our industry is growing more and more.

SolarEdge: New mobile app for operations for residential and C&I solar installers

Do you expect rising demand in 2025?

Yes, but gone are the days of 40% growth every year. I think an increase of overall market demand 10% is realistic. I have confidence that the European market will grow and grow solidly. For example, we see in retail that the warehouses are empty again and are taking in new goods.

SolarEdge: AI platform optimises commercial storage

What was the split between private systems, say below 30 kilowatts, and commercial installations?

We see two major trends in these segments. Cyber security is becoming increasingly important. This is a clear advantage for us because our products already comply with today’s cyber security regulations, and the servers for our monitoring platform are securely situated in Germany. The commercial market is also growing because of high energy prices and ESG requirements. Commercial storage systems are also more important. Last year we launched our commercial system, it came into the market just in time.

You mentioned cyber security. Is this very sensitive topic becoming more important?

Definitely. Lithuania, for instance, introduced very strict rules on inverter security, banning inverters that originate from nation states deemed a cyber risk. Great Britain and the EU have also introduced cyber security regulations applying to solar inverters. Other countries will likely follow.

We have seen an increase in larger systems with more than one megawatt all over Europe. Is this market segment also growing for SolarEdge?

Last summer at the Intersolar we launched our first utility-scale inverter with 330 kilowatts. It has been a great success. You are right, the utility market is growing everywhere in Europe. We see a similar trend in agriculture, as agri-PV is also rising. We address this segment with a special tracking solution which follows the sun and optimizes the sunlight for the plants beneath the solar modules.

Which countries in Europe performed particularly well?

The German speaking countries and regions – Germany, Austria and parts of Switzerland performed well. Italy and France were strong, as well as UK and Benelux. The Dutch market had a hard time, but the C&I and utility segment is gaining ground.

How is business in Poland?

In 2024 many of the Polish subsidies ended, and as a result the private market was in turmoil, but upcoming EU funds will benefit the market. The market as a whole is still alive and kicking. The commercial market is moving in the right direction, so I expect positive trends in 2025.

And in the Baltics or youBalkans?

There we see many new projects, largely C&I and utility-scale. I have observed similar positive trends in the Czech Republic, in Slovakia and in Croatia.

You have launched a commercial battery system with up to 102 kilowatt hours capacity. How did it enter the markets?

First we rolled out the new CSS-OD in Italy, with projects in April 2024. In July we started EU wide supply. Certifications are still pending in some countries, but the road map is clear and our customers are very satisfied with the system.

Outlook 2025: Which opportunities do you foresee for the new year?

I think the prices will not go down any further. Our new factory in the U.S. is fully automated, which allows us to finally introduce a more competitive price point to Europe. We’re seeing that many of our customers value higher quality and secure systems. This includes the security of operational data, too. Cheaper options do not have the same security measures in place, opening customers up to security vulnerabilities and safety concerns. We have a strong brand and a very good reputation in the market, and we offer our customers a good margin.

With a new CEO and a completely new management team in place, what is the strategy for the company to overcome the challenges in the market?

New management brings in new ideas and a new point of view about the markets. Analysing the opportunities, we will continue to focus on high quality and good pricing.. Focusing on the needs of our customers, our new products and tools will help to install PV more efficiently, and we continue to improve customer service, both prior and after sales. I am sure we will succeed.

Which new products can we look forward to at Intersolar in Munich in May?

One product we will show is a new residential battery system for single-phase or three-phase use. The system will be modular designed, scalable from 5 kilowatt hours to 70 or 80 kilowatt hours. There will be more news from us, but I do not want to spoil the event beforehand. Let yourself be surprised!

Interview by Heiko Schwarzburger.

Christian Carraro was appointed General Manager of SolarEdge in Europe in July 2024. He has been working in the solar industry since 2005. He joined SolarEdge in 2016 to lead the Italian market efforts and was soon promoted to lead and manage the company’s Southern Europe business activities, before being promoted again to manager of the Europe division.

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Solar Energy

High potential of European PV manufacturers

March 10, 2025 ryansheehanrts

SolarPower Europe has published a new report mapping Europe’s solar PV module production equipment capacity. The new report „Solar Production Equipment – Key players in the EU’s industrial ecosystem for solar PV’“ explores the European capacity to manufacture the equipment and machinery that produces at each stage of the solar module manufacturing process.

At least 38 European solar equipment makers

Today, at least 38 companies are active in Europe manufacturing the equipment and machinery that produces vital steps of the solar PV module supply chain, including cells, ingots, wafers, and polysilicon.

EU Clean Industrial Deal: Opportunity for renewables and European manufacturing

Current solar PV module equipment producers are based across nine European countries (DE, FR, IT, NL, CH, ES, HU, FI, NO). The majority – 75% of European solar equipment manufacturers – are active in machinery for the cell and module segments.

High potential for European manufacturing

Michael Schmela, Director of Market Intelligence at SolarPower Europe said: “Our first Solar Production Equipment report reveals the enduring role of Europe at a key juncture of the solar supply chain – creating the essential equipment that produces solar technology. Production equipment is a very important part of Europe’s reindustrialisation story, and the solar sector can tap into its clear potential through efforts like the International Solar Manufacturing Initiative.”

SolarPower Europe: New export initiative for European-made solar products

In addition to mapping companies and manufacturing capacity, the report’s literature review identifies areas of European technological edge in the face of very strong competition from China. For example, Europe is still a global leader for next generation perovskite and tandem solar cell technology, and Germany hosts the technology leaders in cell testing equipment. All of which is based on a strong European solar research environment.

Embedded in the International Solar Manufacturing Initiative

The publication follows the launch of the International Solar Manufacturing Initiative (ISMI), which seeks to connect European manufacturers with global markets, complementing efforts to boost European domestic demand for resilient products. ISMI is working to ensure that the European solar industry – including production equipment manufacturers – can tap into existing international development and investment streams already, like the EU Global Gateway strategy. The Global Gateway strategy aims to mobilise €300 billion for strategic infrastructure projects, including in the energy sector. It supports European partners around the world in meeting their climate, energy, and development goals.

Next investor newsletter: Rising risks from rising prices?

ISMI was launched in Brussels in March 2025 in the presence of representatives from the European Commission and the European Investment Bank. (hcn)

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