EQS-News: Meyer Burger sets new industry standards and unveils its high-performance solar modules at digital product premiere

• Industry-leading solar modules based on patented Swiss technology produced in Germany with additional energy yield of up to 20 percent compared to standard products
• Three different product variants available: white, black and glass-glass in standard size for roof systems and weight less than 20 kilograms
• Rethinking solar energy according to the guiding principle "The best. From here. For tomorrow": industry-leading energy yield and outstanding appearance, proprietary technology with a local manufacturing strategy, and a truly sustainable product
• Installers can order solar modules immediately from distributors. Agreements concluded with well-known partners
• Digital services for customers via smartphone app
• Sales focus on Germany, Switzerland, Austria, the Benelux region, Italy, France, Poland, the UK, the Nordic countries, and the USA
• Experienced solar sales expert Sven Stoffers joins as Head of Sales per beginning of May
• Opening of German solar cell and module manufacturing facilities in May, production start in June, first shipments in July 2021

At an online product premiere on its website and social media channels, Meyer Burger Technology Ltd will unveil its new high-performance solar modules today at 3 p.m. (CEST, April 27, 2021). A recording will be available after the online premiere on the company's website as well as on Meyer Burger's YouTube and Facebook channels. Three patent-protected product variants will be presented, all of which manufactured using the proprietary heterojunction/SmartWire technology in the company's own production facilities in Germany. 

According to the guiding principle "The best. From here. For tomorrow", Meyer Burger is setting new industry standards with its new solar modules in terms of performance, origin and sustainability. "We optimize our solar modules for maximum energy yield. They bring decisive differences compared to conventional products," said Moritz Borgmann, responsible for global sales and marketing as Managing Director of Meyer Burger (Industries) GmbH. "The next-generation solar cells, which we interconnect with our proprietary SmartWire interconnection technology, enable our customers to achieve up to 20 percent higher energy yield on the same roof area." The significantly higher energy yield over the service life is enabled by a top-class module conversion efficiency of up to 21.8 percent. On top, Meyer Burger's modules produce significantly more energy from each watt-peak. For example, the modules lose only very little performance due to high temperature, low-light conditions or non-perpendicular incidence of light. 

Borgmann noted that there is only one product feature in which the company is following the standard: "We achieve this industry-leading energy yield and up to 400 watt-peak module power without having to make the modules ever larger, as our competitors do. This allows installers to make the most of their customers' roofs and to work with modules of familiar size and manageable weight." 

The company initially offers the three product variants Meyer Burger White, Black and Glass in the rooftop market for residential and small commercial customers. Meyer Burger solar modules feature a homogeneous "full cell" appearance, even though half cells are used. Due to the proprietary SmartWire interconnection technology, the "Meyer Burger Black" in particular appears uniformly black. The heterojunction/SmartWire technology also effectively prevents so-called "microcracks", a major cause of ubiquitous performance degradation. In addition, Meyer Burger employs a special backsheet that significantly increases the robustness and durability of the modules and thus also their lifetime energy yield. All variants therefore exhibit superior longevity, underpinned with performance guarantees of more than 92 percent for the "Meyer Burger White" and "Meyer Burger Black" after 25 years, and even more than 93 percent for the especially robust "Meyer Burger Glass" after 30 years. This module with a transparent glass back is bifacial, which means that light captured on the backside is also converted into electricity. The module sets a record for the highest bifacial output of a solar module ever produced in volume, with a so-called bifaciality factor of 90 percent. The panel achieves a combined output of over 430 watt-peak at standard measurement conditions (BSTC). A special, proprietary "gapless" cell arrangement also makes ideal use of the module's surface area, which additionally increases the energy yield. 

Meyer Burger relies on products "from here", with its own technology, developed at its Swiss and German sites. As a result, the company also has a short-, medium- and long-term roadmap that safeguards its technology leadership in the long term. Both the solar cells and modules are manufactured in plants in the heart of Europe. The resulting proximity to customers - end customers, installers and wholesalers - is a unique differentiator for Meyer Burger. The company also strives to set up its supply chains locally to the greatest extent possible. Already today, the entire silicon used as well as other components are sourced from Europe. Meyer Burger is thus also contributing to Europe's strategic independence in the key technology of photovoltaics and to the resilience of supply chains.

Meyer Burger's products are aimed at customers who think about "tomorrow" also when it comes to solar modules and who attach great importance to sustainability. The modules are manufactured according to the highest social and environmental standards, as evidenced, among other things, by a substantial grant from the federal state of Saxony-Anhalt, Germany, for significantly more environmentally friendly manufacturing compared to today's established production technologies. Meyer Burger's plants in Germany draw 100 percent of their electrical energy from renewable sources. What's more, the modules are all free of toxic lead and therefore already compliant with the European RoHS Regulation (Directive 2011/65/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 8 June 2011 on the restriction of the use of certain hazardous substances in electrical and electronic equipment), for which the photovoltaic industry currently enjoys a temporary exemption. Furthermore, Meyer Burger is striving for a solution for almost complete recycling of the modules, contributing to the circular economy.

For the sales of its new high-efficiency solar modules, Meyer Burger is working with leading international distributors, including: BayWa r.e., IBC Solar, KdiSolar, Krannich Solar, Memodo, Solarmarkt, Solen Energy Europe and Sonepar Germany. Meyer Burger thus achieves coverage of its focus markets of Germany, Switzerland, Austria, the Benelux region, Italy, France, Poland, the UK, the Nordic countries and the USA. Further distribution partners can be found on www.meyerburger.com and will additionally be announced in the coming weeks. Installers can order from the partners as of now, with delivery of the first modules starting before the end of July 2021. Private and commercial end customers interested in Meyer Burger's solar modules can find specialist partners and installers at www.meyerburger.com or in the new Meyer Burger app, which is available for download in the app stores (iOS and Android) and offers additional services around Meyer Burger's solar modules, including a solar calculator, an installer directory for end customers and an installer area. Meyer Burger will continue to expand its digital services for its customers in the future.

Meyer Burger is continuously growing its sales and marketing organization. From May on, Meyer Burger will additionally strengthen its management team with a solar sales expert well known in the market: Sven Stoffers will report to Managing Director Moritz Borgmann as Head of Sales and will be responsible for Meyer Burger's sales activities worldwide with the exception of the USA. Sven Stoffers has many years of experience in building up sales organizations and successfully selling solar modules. Following leading sales roles at SolarWorld AG, he served most recently as Head of Sales for the DACH region at solar module manufacturer Hanwha Q CELLS.

The new production facilities in Bitterfeld-Wolfen and Freiberg will be opened at the end of May and will then gradually start mass production. In the first phase, a nominal annual capacity of 400 MW will be set up, to be expanded to 5 GW by 2026.

 

Product premiere online: The product premiere can be watched and further information is available from today (April 27, 3 p.m. CEST) on the website www.meyerburger.com and Meyer Burger's channels on YouTube and Facebook. The English-language product premiere will start at 3:30 p.m.

Media contacts:

Meyer Burger Technology AG

Anne Schneider

Head of Corporate Communications

M. +49 174 349 17 90

[email protected]

Dynamics Group AG

Andreas Durisch

Senior Partner

T. +41 43 268 27 47

M. +41 79 358 87 32

[email protected]