Three years after the end of solar cell production in Germany, things are starting again. In Thalheim, Saxony-Anhalt, once the headquarters of the world's largest solar factory, the Thun-based Swiss company Meyer Burger is ramping up its fully automated factory. It is designed for an output of 400 megawatts per year, and by 2026 it is expected to reach five gigawatts. The opening of the factory was under the motto "5 GW for 1.5", which should mean that the five gigawatt production facility should help limit the temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius. 200,000 cells are produced every day in Thalheim, which are assembled into modules in a new factory in Freiberg, Saxony.
So-called bifacial cells are produced, the other side of which also converts light into electricity, such as that which is reflected from the floor or roof. This ensures an efficiency that, according to the manufacturer, is one of the best in the world. The modules come to almost 22 percent, the cells alone are even more effective. However, wiring and other measures, which are necessary when completing modules, reduce the efficiency. There are other manufacturers of bifacial cells, almost exclusively in the Far East. Meyer Burger claims to produce the most effective cells and modules.
The cells are completely encased in glass, which offers optimal protection against mechanical destruction and corrosion. That extends the service life, says Gunter Erfurt, the CEO of the company, which was previously one of the world's most important manufacturers of solar cell production systems. Now he uses them himself. Because they also convert scattered light and reflected light into electricity, the modules do not necessarily have to be set up at an angle that is optimal for the incidence of sunlight. Therefore, they are particularly suitable for the roofs of bungalows and carports, as well as for agriphotovoltaics, in which electricity is generated and agriculture is carried out on the same area. The modules from Freiberg generate enough electricity even when they are vertical, so that hardly any space is lost for growing vegetables.The price of the modules is determined on a case-by-case basis; it depends, among other things, on the purchase quantity.
Erfurt not only wants to relieve the climate with its solar modules, but also wants to become more and more environmentally friendly in production. Already today he is relying exclusively on locally produced silicon in order to save transport routes and thus emissions. In the long term, he is planning a flawless circular economy. From the production of cells and modules to recycling, it should be waste-free.