Hanwha Q CELLS stopping production in Germany, shifting lines to Malaysia

Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Reddit
Email

PV manufacturer Hanwha Q CELLS, said it would close down all solar cell and module manufacturing capacity in Germany and relocate the lines to its main production facility in Cyberjaya, Malaysia with the loss of 550 jobs. 

Hanwha Q CELLS has a solar cell nameplate capacity of 230MW and 130MW nameplate capacity for PV modules at its headquarters in Thalheim, Germany. The plants were regarded as its leading-edge lines that were the first to integrate new developments from its R&D centre also located in Thalheim. 

This article requires Premium SubscriptionBasic (FREE) Subscription

Try Premium for just $1

  • Full premium access for the first month at only $1
  • Converts to an annual rate after 30 days unless cancelled
  • Cancel anytime during the trial period

Premium Benefits

  • Expert industry analysis and interviews
  • Digital access to PV Tech Power journal
  • Exclusive event discounts

Or get the full Premium subscription right away

Or continue reading this article for free

R&D activities were said to remain in Thalheim.

The company said that had made the decision independently of the planned merger with sister company, Hanwha SolarOne and was driven purely by cost competitive issues within the PV industry. 

Kasey Son, CFO at Hanwha Q CELLS, said: “Against the background of the keen cost competition in global solar industry, the management of Hanwha Q CELLS has decided to transfer the German cell and module production facilities to more cost competitive sites including our Malaysian factory. This hasn´t been an easy decision considering the impact on our employees in Germany, but it is necessary in order to ensure the overall competitiveness of Hanwha Q CELLS. I´d like to emphasize, that this decision has been made independently from the recently announced merger of Hanwha Q CELLS with Hanwha SolarOne.”

All production is expected to halt on March 1, 2015.The company noted that 350 jobs would be maintained at Hanwha Q CELLS in Germany. 

Justin Lee, Hanwha Q CELLS' CCO added, “The current program won´t have any impact on our customers, who can fully and continuously rely on the outstanding performance of Q CELLS products – “Engineered in Germany”. Our customers will benefit from this step to further increase the overall competitiveness of Hanwha Q CELLS and our ability to serve the international markets with high quality PV products and solutions for optimized LCOE.”

Read Next

October 6, 2025
Genesis Energy and FRV Australia have mutually agreed to terminate their solar development joint venture while maintaining co-ownership of the 63MWp Lauriston solar PV power plant in Canterbury, New Zealand.
Premium
October 6, 2025
Talon PV aims to be the first US company to safely manufacture TOPCon cells at scale, backed by European technology and a crucial First Solar licensing deal.
October 6, 2025
Indian infrastructure company focused on rooftop and ground-based solar power installations, PVV Infra has secured solar power orders worth INR7.9 billion (US$90 million) through two of its subsidiaries. 
October 6, 2025
US utility AES Corporation is reportedly in discussions to be acquired by Global Infrastructure Partners (GIP), a subsidiary of global asset owning giant BlackRock.
October 6, 2025
Indian solar developer ACME Group has established a new subsidiary to manage its renewable equipment manufacturing business, under which it is planning to scale production of TOPCon PV modules.
October 6, 2025
Rajasthan government will develop 500MW/2,000MWh of standalone battery energy storage systems (BESS) with a four-hour single-cycle configuration and extended operational life.

Subscribe to Newsletter

Upcoming Events

Solar Media Events
October 7, 2025
Manila, Philippines
Solar Media Events
October 7, 2025
San Francisco Bay Area, USA
Solar Media Events
October 21, 2025
New York, USA
Solar Media Events
November 25, 2025
Warsaw, Poland