The Swiss Army Knife of Solar – Meyer Burger Launches Sustainable Solar Panel
Creating A Sustainable Solar Industry Soup to Nuts | Watch the full interview here
Most industry people know Meyer Burger as a company that makes machinery that makes machinery, specifically for solar panels. Now they’re making their own solar panels, and committed to a 100 percent sustainable product and production process.
The company launched three new products this year, building on its groundbreaking SmartWire technology, which when introduced in 2018 was a significantly speedier way to connect solar cells and modules – driving energy output.
Building an Ultra Low Carbon Solar Panel
Becoming sustainable soup to nuts is the layperson’s definition of the impact of Meyer Burger’s move to build its own panels.
It’s not enough just to produce a product perceived as sustainable, for instance a solar panel, according to Meyer Burger CEO Gunter Erfurt. “And it’s not enough to go out and say you have a certain module efficiency.” He believes that the best outcome is achieved when the equipment and technology developer also produce the end product. “This is where the value really is, and the value for the end customer, which is highest energy yields and most durable performance.”
The company is now positioned so the entire enterprise is sustainable. “We are doing that step by step. We are not perfect, but we want to get to that,” says Gunter.
“We believe we have a great ability to lead the way in the industry, like we do and did in technology, but we also want to be a lighthouse of a truly sustainable company. We are inviting the entire industry to join us in these efforts and help us grow.”
While there is a lot of excitement about new products they launched earlier this year, Ardes Johnson, president and general manager of the Americas for Meyer Burger, says the excitement is also about where their technology is headed.
Today, U.S. installers and solar companies are much more educated about solar energy, says Ardes. “So it’s really important for us to bring to light the fact that there’s a better way to do it. There’s a better way to make the module,” moving beyond expansion of solar at all costs.
“People are taking a pause and recognizing that technology matters, sustainability matters . . . and really that’s the backbone and the core of Meyer Burger and how we approach it,” adds Ardes.
U.S. market share targets
“We’re going to take a lot of that residential market. We’re going to really grow it. But also we are definitely going to step in and try to participate in other markets as well, utility, commercial, and really go after it,” according to Ardes. “And we think we can be a leader in all three of those markets.”
Watch the full interview here Solar Podcast where Meyer Burger’s Gunter Erfurt and Ardes Johnson talk specifics about 100% sustainability in a “sustainable” industry. With Clean Power Hour co-hosts Tim Montague and John Weaver.