Energetica resumes solar module production

From pv magazine Germany

Energetica Industries, an Austrian solar panel maker, had to file for insolvency due to financial difficulties in November 2021. In the months that followed, a financially strong investor, IRMA Power, acquired it and affirmed its willingness to continue module production in Liebenfels, where the manufacturer is headquartered.

In the first few months after the takeover of Energetica, the focus for Martin Kurschel, the owner of IRMA Power, was on ramping up module production. He said the production of solar modules is now running at full speed again, with annual production capacity reaching 350 MW.

“We will soon be switching from three to four-shift operation,” Kurschel told pv magazine. “Energetica is again employing around 100 people, including many specialists who worked for the company before the insolvency. Further scaling of production is already being planned for next year.”

The cells for the solar modules come from China, but the end products are entirely manufactured in Austria. Some of Energetica's solar modules are intended for use in its own real estate projects, developed by IRMA Power itself.

“It is incredibly important for us to understand how, what and with what quality the panels are produced,” Kurschel said, in reference to cases of underperforming PV systems built with Energetica's products in the past. “We're still working on fixing the warranty. Two to three cases still have to be settled.”

There have been no such issues since the restart of production, said Kurschel.

“It's about restoring trust completely,” he said, adding that IRMA Power has deliberately decided against changing to a new brand name.

The factory in Liebenfels currently produces two types of modules – “e.Classic” and “e.Prime.” They are monocrystalline modules with 120 half cells and M6 wafers, with 12 busbars and shingle tech. The most powerful product offers 390 W of output, and both module types are also available in black.

From next year, Energetica also wants to bring facade modules onto the market.

“They should be derived from our previous standard modules,” said Kurschel. “We also want to take the step from M6 to M10 wafers.”

Energetica said it will invest in two more production lines.