SolarWorld ‘reboots’ as Frank Asbeck gets approval to buy key assets

Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Reddit
Email
SolarWorld AG founder Frank Asbeck.

SolarWorld AG founder Frank Asbeck has been given approval to buy the major manufacturing and R&D assets of the company.

The new entity, SolarWorld Industries GmbH takes over the production facilities and distribution businesses in Europe, Asia and Africa.

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

Production is expected to start next week with 500 employees across its sites in Arnstadt, Freiburg and Bonn.

“I am delighted that after tough negotiations, we have succeeded in developing a future for SolarWorld production,” said Asbeck. “With the reboot, solar products are still being developed and produced at the highest level. SolarWorld remains the crystallization point of the European solar industry.”

The company will continue its transition to mono PERC-only cells production.

“We plan to start with a production capacity of 700 MW, which can also be boosted to the previous capacity of more than 1GW. At launch, the company will have 515 employees. Of these, more than 12% are employed in research and more than 5% are trainees,” he said adding that the new company had already signed a 25MW order, without giving further details.

3 November 2026
Málaga, Spain
Understanding technology and supplier selection for Europe’s utility-scale PV market in 2027. PV ModuleTech Europe 2026 is a two-day conference that tackles these challenges directly, with an agenda that addresses all aspects of PV module, inverter and battery supplier selection; product availability, technology offerings, supply chain traceability, quality assurance, factory auditing, system reliability, and supplier bankability.

Read Next

July 28, 2026
US solar PV manufacturer T1 Energy has bought a set of patents for tunnel oxide passivated contact (TOPCon) solar cell and module technology which it said will “differentiate” its position in the US market.
July 28, 2026
Nadara has secured €1.2 billion (US$1.36 billion) to refinance a 1.5GW operational renewable energy portfolio, including 13 solar projects.
July 27, 2026
A significant shift in PV inverter manufacturing is set to unfold, writes Solar Media Market Research's Mollie McCorkindale.
July 27, 2026
French renewables company Voltalia increased its operational solar portfolio to 2,006MW by the end of the first half of 2026.
July 24, 2026
Croatia's HOPS approves transmission blueprint for Pantheon Atlas' planned 1GW Pantheon AI data centre in Topusko.
Sponsored
July 24, 2026
As sub-zero temperatures force many residential battery systems offline or drain energy through auxiliary heating, Dr. Qingfeng Yuan explains how the CATL-ATL joint venture's thermal engineering is eliminating winter downtime across Northern and Alpine Europe

Upcoming Events

Solar Media Events
October 13, 2026
San Francisco Bay Area, USA
Solar Media Events
November 3, 2026
Málaga, Spain
Solar Media Events
November 24, 2026
Warsaw, Poland
Solar Media Events
April 20, 2027
Istanbul, Türkiye