NEWS

Aleo Solar says it will halt production at its solar panel factory in Prenzlau, Germany, affecting 110 employees. The manufacturer is a unit of Taiwan’s Sino-American Silicon.

German PV module manufacturer Aleo Solar, a unit of Taiwan-based solar supplier Sino-American Silicon, said it will shut down production lines at its factory in Prenzlau, Brandenburg, as part of an “orderly phase-out.” A company spokesperson told pv magazine that Aleo plans to close the facility in the coming months.

Local newspaper Nordkurier has previously reported that many employees had already received termination notices, with standard notice periods for long-term staff running through the end of June. Aleo Solar has now confirmed that the closure will affect about 110 employees. It noted that they will receive support through a social plan and professional reorientation.

Aleo Solar said it plans to wind down production gradually and use up remaining production resources. The factory produces specialized solar modules for niche markets, but the company said sustained overcapacity in China and a global price war have made competitive production unviable – challenges that have forced other German module manufacturers to halt production over the past year.

“This decision was not an easy one for us, but it reflects the current reality of the solar industry,” said William Chen, CEO of Aleo Solar. “We are one of the last German manufacturers in this segment – with a 25-year history, overcoming the first major solar crisis. We would have liked politicians to have taken timely measures to strengthen European solar production.”

After production ends, Aleo Solar said a core team will handle the company’s strategic reorientation. It did not specify the size of the team or provide details on what the reorientation will involve.

Aleo Solar, founded in 2001, began PV module production in Prenzlau in 2002. In 2009, Bosch acquired a majority stake in the company, but later closed its solar division. Aleo Solar was then sold to a consortium of Asian investors led by Taiwan's Sunrise Global Solar Energy, a subsidiary of Sino-American Silicon Products Group.