Meyer Berger, a Swiss solar technology company, announced the opening of a silicon solar cell manufacturing facility in Colorado Springs, Colorado. With an initial capacity of 2GW of solar cells per year, the new plant will exclusively supply solar cells. Meyer Burger Solar Module Production in Goodyear, Arizona.
Credit: Meyer Burger
The company has selected a former semiconductor manufacturing site in Colorado and plans to begin production in the fourth quarter of 2024, creating more than 350 direct jobs.
“Meyer Berger strongly believes that domestically manufactured solar cells bring additional value to our customers in terms of using best-in-class, high-performance solar products made in the USA, and in terms of qualifying for additional tax credits,” said Gunther Erfurt, CEO of Meyer Berger.Initial target production in the US is 2 GW of solar cells and modules, and Meyer Burger is potentially Up to $1.4 billion in tax credits under the Control Inflation Act From the start of production in 2024 until the end of 2032.
Beyond the IRA tax credit, the City of Colorado Springs and the state of Colorado are contributing nearly $90 million to the facility, primarily in the form of tax credits, direct assistance, and discounts on electricity and water bills. In addition, advance payments from module take-back partners and his over $300 million loan from the Department of Energy are also expected to help fund Meyer Burger’s growth in the United States.
“Meyer Berger is currently working on an additional multi-gigawatt offtake contract with a new customer in the United States. We are already exploring opportunities to add further solar cell and module capacity in the country,” Erfurt said.
The accelerated manufacturing schedule in the U.S. was made possible by redirecting production capacity previously announced for a 2GW solar expansion at the company’s German facility. The device will be installed at the Colorado Springs facility in time for the cell factory’s planned completion date of 2024. Meyer Berger plans to expand its German factory at a later date.
Colorado is growing in popularity as a manufacturing location for solar power. Last month, a joint venture involving Vikram Solar 2GW solar panel factory situation. Local news reports say Colorado Springs in particular is a hotbed for semiconductor manufacturing, fueling recent expansions by Microchip Technology and Entegris.