2024-06-06 06:46:42
As a result of power and manufacturing prices, some corporations are already closing their German areas. It is a exhausting blow for the municipalities. However not everyone seems to be prepared to simply accept this.
The Swiss photo voltaic firm Meyer Burger laid off virtually 500 staff in April and closed its web site in Freiberg, Saxony. The corporate is now investing funds for a deliberate enlargement on the Thalheim web site within the USA. The group cites Germany as a enterprise location as the explanation: Meyer Burger waited for promised concessions from the federal authorities. These didn’t materialize and so the corporate is now drawing its conclusions.
The Freiberg instance isn’t an remoted case, particularly within the photo voltaic trade, which is step by step transferring out of Germany. Up to now ten years, the variety of individuals employed within the photo voltaic power sector has shrunk by virtually half. Nevertheless, the businesses’ turnover has elevated. However, following Meyer Burger, Solarwatt can also be ceasing operations at a Dresden web site. First the corporate put photo voltaic module manufacturing on maintain, now battery manufacturing. German manufacturing can’t sustain within the worth conflict with China.
Embed
China and USA spend money on their photo voltaic trade
These are choices with far-reaching penalties for Germany as a enterprise location. However they may hit cities and municipalities significantly exhausting, because the commerce tax on these areas is a vital supply of earnings. Many initiatives and municipal buildings are financed from this tax.
Dirk Neubauer, an unbiased district administrator in central Saxony, doesn’t need to permit this to occur. He has launched a determined try to save lots of the positioning. First, in order that Meyer Burger would keep within the district, however now that that has not labored, he’s persevering with with out the photo voltaic large. The “Photo voltaic Valley”, as the commercial space of Bitterfeld-Wolfen is named in reference to the American “Silicon Valley”, is to develop additional with the intention to put together the area for the longer term.
District administrator doesn’t need to settle for the top of “SolarValley”
“It is mindless to turn out to be technologically dependent in the course of the power transition,” mentioned Neubauer in an interview with t-online. As a result of if the photo voltaic modules are now not manufactured in Germany, the businesses will merely import them from China. There and within the USA, photo voltaic producers are supported extra by subsidies, which suggests they’ll supply their merchandise extra cheaply than German or European producers. In keeping with the Power Ministry, seven of the ten largest photo voltaic producers are primarily based in China alone.
The ultimate worth for shoppers stays the identical, says Neubauer. Solely the corporate’s revenue is completely different: “The situation has been sacrificed to greed for revenue,” says the district administrator. He sees the blame primarily with the FDP.
Firstly of the yr, a resilience bonus for the photo voltaic trade was nonetheless being mentioned to help producers within the worth conflict with China. In keeping with the plans of Economics Minister Robert Habeck (Greens), clients would have acquired a bonus for European photo voltaic modules. This might take the type of greater feed-in tariffs from the Renewable Power Sources Act (EEG) or with direct monetary subsidies.
However the Liberals blocked the plan. To the detriment of the German corporations. “The worst factor that may occur if there is no such thing as a extra German manufacturing is that there might be a couple of months’ delay within the enlargement of the roof,” mentioned Finance Minister Lindner. If the merchandise can now not be produced in Germany, that may merely be “a part of a structural change.”
“Financial stimulus package deal” for the photo voltaic trade
District Administrator Neubauer sees issues in a different way. He’s satisfied that Germany can’t do with out photo voltaic manufacturing. Not solely due to its dependence on China, but additionally as a result of a five-figure variety of jobs rely on it.
That’s the reason the brand new farmer is combating for a pilot mission: The district needs to fund a gigawatt of photo voltaic with 770 million euros, which ought to keep within the area if potential. “It’s a main financial stimulus program to help the photo voltaic trade, with citizen participation and secure costs.” The place precisely the cash will come from continues to be unclear. The plan is for residents and municipalities to take part and a improvement firm can also be to be based. He has already acquired over 200 requests for cooperation.
Residents and administrations are concerned and are anticipated to take part. A process pressure is inspecting the place the “time wasters” within the approval course of are and the way the processes may be digitalized. Neubauer is satisfied: “We are able to halve the time to approval.” At present, this could take as much as 24 months.