First it was Solarwatt’s panels, now the German company has reportedly said it will be ending local production of batteries and shifting manufacturing of both to Asia.
Solarwatt has been around for 30 years and has built a reputation for quality and a price tag to match. It once had the longest solar panel product warranty around – 30 years, which was eclipsed by SunPower Maxeon only a couple of years ago with their 40-year warranty.
In recent years, Solarwatt was one of the only (quality) companies to be manufacturing solar panels in Europe. But this distinction will soon end. The firm announced in April it would close its 300MW manufacturing plant in Dresden, Saxony in August this year.
Commenting on the situation at the time, Saxony’s Energy and Climate Protection Minister Wolfram Günther said (translated):
“This is a blow for the employees and their families and it is another black day for the Saxon and European solar industry and for the energy transition as a whole. Because we want to equip the energy transition with technology made in Europe and not with technology from China that is sold off here at dumping prices.”
Solarwatt had warned back in January it would consider shuttering the plant if the German government did not come up with a solution to what it said was unfair competition from China. Prior to this, in November last year it announced intentions to lay off 85 employees by the end of 2023.
Battery production is next.
In 2021, in a partnership with BMW Group, Solarwatt launched the “Battery flex” energy storage system ( also made in Germany) to replace its MyReserve battery product. But earlier this week, PV Magazine reported Solarwatt will shut down its battery factory in Dresden and the company will move all battery and solar panel production to China. This will affect around 170 local employees.
Solarwatt In Australia
Solarwatt seemed really keen to bring the Battery flex solution to Australia, but I’m not sure if it ever made it to our shores. It doesn’t appear to be on the CEC approved battery list.
But Solarwatt’s PV products were available in Australia for many years, and the CEC approved panels list still lists a number of models. Those listings expire at the end of September this year. The few dozen Solarwatt reviews we have on SolarQuotes from Australian customers indicate the panels have generally been performing well, as you’d expect for a product with a premium price tag.
From what I can make out, Solarwatt quietly exited the Australian PV market in 2022 and its Australian subsidiary Solarwatt Technology Australia Pty. Ltd. went into liquidation in February 2023, so there’s no longer any official local representation. What the arrangements were for ongoing warranty support aren’t clear, but owners of Solarwatt panels experiencing issues should contact their installer as the first port of call. Failing that, give [email protected] a whirl.
A long warranty is great if the manufacturer is around long enough to honour it, and a local office is certainly desirable. These are among a number of important points to consider when choosing solar panels.
About Michael Bloch
RSS - Posts
It’s hard to compete against Communist China when their workers get paid peanuts, environmental restrictions are negligible, and government actively supports particular industries in a bid to secure military, technological, and economic supremacy.
In the West, unions want higher pay, environmentalists want harsher restrictions, governments don’t want to subsidise companies, and corporations want maximum profit for minimum cost.
Ultimately it’s the ordinary resident that loses out.
Well said George