Meyer Burger, a Swiss company that specializes in the development of HJT cells, announced on July 27 that it has acquired IP related to a solar roof tile solution from an unnamed German engineer service provider. The value of this transaction has been kept secret. Meyer Burger said that this deal will expand its offerings related to high-end rooftop PV systems. Starting off as a provider of fabrication equipment for PV cells and modules, Meyer Burger is crossing into the downstream sections of the supply chain and turning itself into a supplier of PV modules. The technologies developed by the unnamed Germany firm are expected to be used to create an integrated rooftop PV system similar to the “solar shingles” from Tesla. Such a product has advantages such as ease of deployment and being more aesthetically natural (i.e., indistinguishable from regular roof shingles).
Meyer Burger stated that it will unveil its new “solar roof” solution at the upcoming trade show Intersolar Europe 2021 that will be held this October in Munich. Also, the first deliveries of the product are set for the first half of 2022.
Gunter Erfurt, CEO of Meyer Burger, is confident that his company’s solar roof tiles will be able to bring roof-integrated PV solutions out of the niche segment of the market and into the mainstream segment. Commenting on this deal, Erfurt pointed out that even though the potential demand for rooftop PV systems is still quite enormous, many consumers are not choosing conventional PV modules for a variety of reasons. At the same time, the existing roof-integrated solutions are not widely accepted. Meyer Burger further stated that this acquisition is necessary because the IP encompasses all the required patents, certifications, and know-hows. The IP will be combined with the company’s own HJT cell and Smart Wire technology, resulting in a product that is original and highly competitive. New and replacement roofing is going to be the immediate target application for the solution.
In June, Meyer Burger obtained loans from German financial institutions to expand its production capacity for cells and modules. Its production facilities in Germany have also just entered operation.