The first modules produced will be delivered to Solarwatt customers next week. In addition, two new production lines for energy storage were officially opened during the event. In total, Solarwatt will invest more than 100 million euros over the next few years, around 35 million of which will be invested in the three new production facilities. In addition to Saxony's Prime Minister Michael Kretschmer, many representatives from politics and business took part in the celebrations.
“The demand from customers for photovoltaic solutions for private homes and the commercial sector is increasing more and more – not only in Germany, but all over the world” said Solarwatt CEO Detlef Neuhaus. “That's why it's extremely important that we also have a strong solar industry in this country that drives innovation and offers solutions that enable people to supply themselves with clean energy as quickly and easily as possible. In this way, we not only ensure that climate targets are met, but also create jobs in one of the most important technologies of the future."
Solarwatt's main shareholder, Stefan Quandt, added that decarbonisation, i.e. turning away from carbon and towards a CO2-neutral economy, is the big issue of our time – and a Herculean task and that without powerful and intelligent photovoltaic systems, the conversion to a CO2-neutral economy will not succeed.
“Against this background, we are firmly convinced that Solarwatt is excellently positioned for the future” said Mr Quandt. “We are seeing the results of realigning the company a few years ago to become a systems house with the core competencies of 'generating energy', 'storing energy' and 'managing energy'. Solarwatt is the only European supplier to produce all the components of a photovoltaic system itself and from a single source – here in Germany.”
The new F8 solar module production facility has a floor area of around 3,500 square meters and a production capacity of 300 megawatt peak per year. Solarwatt exclusively manufactures glass-glass solar modules in Dresden, where the electricity-generating solar cells are enclosed on both sides by a glass pane. This makes the solar panels significantly more robust and durable than conventional glass-foil modules. Solarwatt is also using larger cell sizes in the new F8, which allows the company to increase the power classes of the modules. The unique 30-year product and performance guarantee will of course remain in place.
In the immediate vicinity of the new F8 module production, a modern energy storage production facility with a size of approximately 2,500 square metres has been built in recent months. This is where the final assembly of the Solarwatt Battery flex energy storage system, which Solarwatt developed together with the BMW Group, takes place. Solarwatt obtains original components, such as the battery cells, directly from BMW for production. These are also used in the global corporation's electric cars.
Webasto, an international automotive supplier, manufactures the cell module for Solarwatt's energy storage system in Bavaria on behalf of Solarwatt. This new production facility, which is also the third, has a floor area of around 300 square meters and produces a cell module for Solarwatt in around two minutes. Production in the two energy storage manufacturing facilities already started at the beginning of September.
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