United StatesGlobal clean energy company BayWa r.e. publicly announced a partnership with European solar technology company Meyer Burger to procure high-performance solar modules from its cutting-edge production site in Goodyear, Arizona. This collaborative effort is set to become another strong force in driving ongoing domestic manufacturing, generating local jobs and fostering a sustainable solar industry, under the context of the Inflation Reduction Act and diminishing dependence on China's solar supply chain.
The partnership is expected to ramp up the annual capacity of Meyer Burger's module production in Goodyear from 1.6 GW to approximately 2 GW, and create over 500 skilled manufacturing jobs.
According to the offtake agreement, BayWa r.e. commits to procuring 1.25 GW of modules over a span of 5 years from Meyer Burger's facility in Goodyear. BayWa r.e. has also made a long-term commitment (from 2025 to 2029) to ensure a consistent supply of domestically produced solar modules for their extensive solar project pipeline exceeding 9 GW nationwide.
Meyer Burger was founded in 1953 in Switzerland. Its development and manufacturing sites and sales offices span several continents. The company's proprietary heterojunction/SmartWire technology enables them to set new industry standards regarding energy yield.
Meyer Burger is nearing completion of a 2 GW production site. Commenting on the partnership, Ardes Johnson, President of Meyer Burger Americas, said:
It enables us to provide toxin-free, high-performance solar modules manufactured to the highest ethical and social standards, that are at the forefront of technology and achieve very high yields due to their outstanding longevity.
"At BayWa r.e., we are committed to leveraging our decades of experience in deploying clean energy across the globe to drive local economic growth using domestically manufactured equipment," said Geoff Fallon, COO at BayWa r.e. Solar Projects LLC.
Domestic solar manufacturing in the US is desperately needed. If we want to be a leader in the solar panels market and forge the path ahead for sustainable energy, we need to take these steps and take them often!