Government must support the construction of solar factories

The German Solar Industry Association has called on the German government to support the establishment of large, competitive solar factories in Germany. "Otherwise, the train for a successful resettlement of the solar industry in Germany will have finally left the station," CEO Carsten Körnig told the German Press Agency on Wednesday.

The solar manufacturer Meyer Burger is considering closing its plant in Freiberg, Saxony. A final decision would have to be made by mid-February, the company announced - "unless sufficient measures are taken to create fair competitive conditions in Europe, for example through resilience measures".

Körnig said that "resilience bonuses" would compensate for the additional costs of solar modules from domestic production for part of the solar subsidy during the set-up phase of European solar factories. Depending on the European depth of added value, bonuses of 1 to 3 cents per kilowatt hour would be required, which new operators would receive if they used solar modules "Made in Europe". The manufacturing costs of European factories are considerably higher than those of Asian factories. The German government is planning a solar package. However, there is still a need for consultation on this in the coalition parties.