SolarWorld

The U.S. subsidiary of the German manufacturer maintains full operations at its facility in Hillsboro, Oregon, although its parent company and its German units filed for insolvency last week.

The Bonn court has confirmed to pv magazine that Horst Piepenburg was named temporary administrator for SolarWorld. Meawhile, the company’s German units also filed for insolvency.

Leading solar analysts say that SolarWorld’s bankruptcy, announced yesterday, should not have come as a surprise. Pointing to the current “viciously competitive” cell and module market, and the ongoing dispute between Hemlock and SolarWorld subsidiary Deutsche solar GmbH, analysts from IHS Markit and BNEF, say that the writing had been on the wall for the German company for some time.

The European solar industry’s peak body SolarPower Europe says that yesterday’s insolvency announcement, from German-based producer SolarWorld, is regrettable and that it is of “vital importance” that all parts of the solar value chain are present in Europe.

Today, SolarWorld AG filed for insolvency in Germany, and it is unclear whether or not its U.S. subsidiary will also file. In the following interview, Mercom Capital CEO Raj Prabhu talks about what this means for the U.S. solar industry.

EU ProSun has described the bankruptcy of SolarWorld as a “serious blow to the German and European solar industry.” The lobby group, which has long advocated for tariffs against Chinese solar modules, “deplored” the news of the German-headquartered manufacturer’s insolvency – in a statement released minutes after SolarWorld’s official announcement.

The German module maker shipped 382 MW in the first three months of this year. The company’s plan to focus on monocrystalline PERC products is being implemented according to schedule.

One of the pillars of Donald Trump’s election campaign was his pledge to protect the U.S. manufacturers from unfair competition. While it is still unclear whether he will follow through with his threats to increase import taxes on Chinese goods, SolarWorld has taken the opportunity of the historic meeting between President Trump and Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping to harangue China’s solar manufacturers and call for the issue of solar dumping to be raised.

Trump declares war on clean energy, Tesla hurtles the other way down the fast lane towards a solar future, SolarWorld lays out its cost-cutting plans, and Algeria’s bold PV goals raise concerns.