Germany’s Aleo Solar Shuttering Panel Production Plant

Another one bites the dust. One of Germany’s last solar panel manufacturing plants is being shut down in the face of ongoing price pressure.

German newspaper Nordkurier reports there will be an “orderly” phasing out of production at Aleo Solar GmbH’s only manufacturing facility, situated in Prenzlau. Manufacturing at the facility, which has an annual production capacity of just under 500MW, will cease once existing resources have been used up. The shutdown will affect 110 employees, who will be supported through the transition by a “social plan”.

Aleo was founded in 2001 and acquired by the Bosch group of companies through a majority share purchase in 2009. Bosch announced it was exiting the solar manufacturing scene in 2013 and Aleo was then scooped up in 2014 by Taiwanese semiconductor giant SAS (Sino American Silicon Products).

The firm doesn’t intend winding up entirely at this point, which will be some relief to those who have Aleo solar panels. The company reportedly says it is looking into new ways to continue with a core team who will remain, without providing further details.

Among other companies to shut down German panel production over the last year was Solarwatt (August 2024), which also cited economic reasons and difficulties operating in Germany under prevailing conditions. In another case of “if you can’t beat ’em, join ’em”, Solarwatt has shifted production to China.

In February last year, Swiss solar panel maker Meyer Burger said it was winding up production in Germany. But instead of a shift to China, it’s now manufacturing modules in Goodyear, Arizona.

Aleo Solar Panels And Australia

While never establishing an office here, the company’s solar panels had been available in Australia for some years – although I checked more than a dozen local wholesalers yesterday and couldn’t find any still stocking their modules. Currently, 20 Aleo LEO models are on the Clean Energy Council’s approved modules list, ranging from 340W to 410W capacity.

One of the stand-out features of the company’s LEO panels that were launched in 2022 is hail resistance. Most manufacturers work to the standard IEC 61215 test that involves modules being able to withstand 25mm hailstones travelling at 23 m/s, but LEO panels have 40 mm hailstone resistance (Hail-Class 4)¹.

While we don’t have many reviews of Aleo solar panels on SolarQuotes, what’s there have been generally positive.

Aleo offered a 25-year product and 25-year performance warranty for the CEC- listed panels. The Nordkurier report doesn’t mention warranty arrangements once production ceases. For information on what will happen with warranty support going forward, Australian owners should check with the company that installed their solar panels as they also have warranty obligations.

For other Australians hankering after German-made solar panels, I’m not sure who’s left to choose from. There’s a bunch of companies claiming “German engineering”, but this is usually a reliable flag the panels are made elsewhere – and often in China.

German solar manufacturing has generally been excellent, but it’s not the be-all and end-all. Some high-quality panels have been coming out of China and elsewhere for many years, but at times manufacturers still hide provenance or mention it in tiny print², which doesn’t do anyone any favours. When revealed, it can raise questions around what else the company is hiding or obscuring.

If you’re hunting around for good PV modules, check out the solar panel brands recommended by SolarQuotes, and what Australian installers in SQ’s network voted the best solar panels in 2025.