Schott Solar to close doors at c-Si division at cost of 900 jobs

Citing “the severe deterioration in market conditions in the photovoltaic industry”, Schott Solar AG is to stop producing crystalline photovoltaics (c-Si PV) altogether this year.

It added that photovoltaics continues to be characterized by overcapacity and massive price drops. And, while Schott had managed to lower its production costs by 50 percent over the past two years, had carried out upstream restructuring and achieved "excellent" R&D progress, it said the "unstable" European political environment and Asian competition could not be overcome.

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“Thin-film manufacturing in Jena will not be affected,” it said in a statement, while its concentrating solar power (CSP) division will also continue.

“Customers can rest assured that we will continue to meet our guarantee obligations as we have in the past,” the company added. “To this end, Schoot Solar AG will be retaining an after-sales service team in the area of PV.”

The decision to halt c-Si PV manufacturing is likely to result in job losses of almost 900 across plants in Germany, the Czech Republic and New Mexico.

www.schottsolar.com