Meyer Burger suspends solar cell plant in Colorado
The Swiss solar panel maker had started production at its Arizona plant using cells made at its German facility. It was earlier reported it would switch to using cells made at its Colorado plant.
Swiss solar technology pioneer Meyer Burger has suspended its plans for a plant in Colorado, US, saying that its solar cell production plant in Germany’s Thalheim will continue to be the backbone of its supply, according to Reuters.
“In connection with the strategic changes, the Board of Directors has instructed the Management to draw up a comprehensive restructuring and cost-cutting program,” the company said in a statement.
In June, the solar panel maker started solar module assembly production at its new plant in Goodyear, Arizona.
The solar cells used in the American-assembled panels were produced at the company’s German facility. At the time, it was reported that Meyer Burger would eventually switch to using cells made at the under-construction plant in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
That plan has now been shelved.
The Swiss company had reportedly submitted a loan application to the US Department of Energy to finance its Colorado plant.
Meyer Burger had previously said that the Arizona panel factory would have 1.5 GW of annual production capacity that could expand it to 2 GW.
The Colorado plant was said to have a 2 GW annual production capacity, according to an earlier report by Solar Power World.
Meyer Burger specializes in heterojunction technology, combining crystalline silicon and amorphous silicon thin-film.
