Media witch hunt blamed for Hannes Kuhn resignation from Solar Millennium

September 26, 2011
Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Reddit
Email

Despite boardroom spats, technology deviation, and financial concerns, Solar Millennium said that Hannes Kuhn has resigned from company's supervisory board with immediate effect.

“The media campaign directed against me has now started to affect my family and my private life, reaching a level where objective discussion becomes impossible,” wrote Kuhn in a resignation letter. “In light of this media witchhunt [sic], I have decided to resign my position on the supervisory board with immediate effect and good cause.”

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

“Recent accusations made against me in the form of countless systematic and primarily anonymous criminal complaints are unsupported and without foundation. Naturally, I fully cooperated with the authorities from the very beginning. Since the day Solar Millennium was founded almost 13 years ago, I have always acted exclusively in the interest of the company,” added Kuhn.

In a statement, Solar Millennium’s board said, “The Board expects that this personal decision helps to put an end to the public discussion regarding his role that has proved an immense strain on the company, its staff and Mr. Kuhn himself.”

Problems for the company have included changing technologies and forgoing a US DOE grant for a solar thermal plant and delaying the project so that it can shift the project to use PV modules. It has also had problems with former CEO Utz Claassen over settlement negotiations and paying back a multimillion signing on fee after being at the company for months, before resigning.

Read Next

January 2, 2026
Germany has installed 16.2GW of solar PV in 2025, according to an analysis by the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems (ISE) based on the energy-charts.info data platform.
January 2, 2026
Canadian Solar has appointed Colin Parkin to its presidency to replace Dr Shawn Qu, who will remain as the company’s chairman and CEO.
January 2, 2026
SJVN has commissioned a 1GW solar PV plant in Rajasthan, India, its largest solar project to comply with India’s DCR rules.
January 2, 2026
The Spanish Ministry of Ecological Transition (MITECO) has launched a new renewables manufacturing subsidy programme.
January 2, 2026
As the year comes to an end, we bring you a recap of the most-read Premium stories that have been published throughout 2025.
January 2, 2026
PV Tech spoke to Vihann Kong of Ampion about its work in 2025 and positive state-level legislation the sector can expect to see in 2026.

Upcoming Events

Solar Media Events
February 3, 2026
London, UK
Solar Media Events
March 24, 2026
Dallas, Texas
Solar Media Events
April 15, 2026
Milan, Italy
Solar Media Events
June 16, 2026
Napa, USA
Solar Media Events
November 24, 2026
Warsaw, Poland