Meyer Burger mulls legal action after Oxford PV ends heterojunction solar cell partnership

Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Reddit
Email
Heterojunction solar cell production underway at an Oxford PV facility. Image: Oxford PV.

Meyer Burger is considering its legal options after long-time heterojunction tandem solar cell manufacturing partner Oxford PV ended its collaboration agreement unexpectedly.

Late last week (Friday 23 July 2021) Oxford PV confirmed that it had completed construction of its new manufacturing facility in Brandenburg an der Havel in Germany. The site, which is expected to begin full production next year, is home to Oxford PV’s first volume manufacturing line of its perovskite-on-silicon tandem solar cells.

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

Frank P. Averdung, chief executive at Oxford PV, said the operation of a small volume line at the site since 2017 had allowed the company to optimise the perovskite cell product, with plans now afoot to bring that product to market.

“Now that the technology is ready for deployment and the factory build-out has been completed, we are excited about our journey ahead to realise our mission to make perovskite PV the mainstream solar technology,” he said.

With the completion of the facility, Oxford PV also revealed that it had terminated its exclusive relationship with Meyer Burger, the solar equipment manufacturer-turned-module maker it has partnered with for more than two years.

Meyer Burger responded with its own statement today, confirming that it was “considering legal options to enforce its rights”.

The two signed a formal collaboration agreement in early 2019 with the intent of accelerating perovskite-on-silicon heterojunction solar cell and module development. Oxford PV agreed to purchase a 200MW heterojunction manufacturing line from Meyer Burger, with the latter also agreeing to take a stake of up to 18.8% in the former.

Meyer Burger remains the largest single shareholder of Oxford PV, holding a 19.76% stake in the firm.

The partnership led Oxford PV to firm up plans to become a merchant manufacturer of heterojunction perovskite solar cells and modules, however the following year saw Meyer Burger complete its own pivot towards heterojunction solar cell and module manufacturing.

Meyer Burger said the announcement was unexpected, but stressed that the consequences of Oxford PV’s decision would have no impact on its own business transition, nor on the guidance it has committed to.

“The perovskite tandem technology is an integral part of Meyer Burger’s technology roadmap. Based on its own developments and know-how, Meyer Burger has a comprehensive portfolio of processes, technologies and production techniques for its own potential mass production of tandem solar cells and modules.

“This includes the essential manufacturing processes and machines for perovskite tandem solar cells and corresponding solar modules with Meyer Burger’s proprietary SmartWire interconnection technology. Meyer Burger thus holds a key to critical success factors such as product reliability and cost-efficient mass production,” the statement read.

Shares in Meyer Burger fell more than 9% in early trading this morning, falling from a previous close of CHF0.48 (US$0.52) to CHF0.40 (US$0.43) per share.

25 November 2025
Warsaw, Poland
Large Scale Solar Central and Eastern Europe continues to be the place to leverage a network that has been made over more than 10 years, to build critical partnerships to develop solar projects throughout the region.

Read Next

September 9, 2025
Nautilus and Summit Ridge Energy secured major financing deals to expand community solar projects across multiple US states.
September 9, 2025
The average price of solar modules sold in Europe fell marginally between July and August, while buyers’ confidence remained steady.
September 9, 2025
The US Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) has released a policy blueprint which it claims would “strengthen the reliability of America’s electric grid with solar and storage technologies.”
September 9, 2025
US solar tracker manufacturer Nextracker has acquired Origami Solar, a steel frame technology-focused company, for approximately US$53 million. 
September 8, 2025
Euclid Power has raised US$20 million Series A round led by Venrock to develop AI-driven platform and services for renewables. 
September 8, 2025
ClearGen has entered into a US$150 million partnership with Davis Hill to build 245MW of community and commercial solar projects in the US.

Subscribe to Newsletter

Upcoming Events

Solar Media Events
September 16, 2025
Athens, Greece
Solar Media Events
September 30, 2025
Seattle, USA
Solar Media Events
October 1, 2025
London, UK
Solar Media Events
October 2, 2025
London,UK
Solar Media Events
October 7, 2025
Manila, Philippines