Cooperations between German PV-manufacturers and Asian strategic investors create decisive competitive advantage.
Solarion, a PV company from Leipzig, has won Taiwan’s Walsin Lihwa Corporation as an investor, securing 40 Million EUR for the manufacturing of flexible solar cells.
Consulting company Apricum understands this type of cooperation as setting the trend for the successful future commercialization of PV-technology company innovations. According to Apricum’s management partner Nikolai Dobrott: “Cooperating with established corporations from Asia offers start-ups in the PV-Sector excellent preconditions for fostering their international expansion. They can profit from their partner’s long-standing experiences and resources, particularly regarding mass production at low costs. As such, start-ups can commercialize their products quicker and at a lower price to tap into the global market.”
Apricum notes that large Asian corporations in particular display a strong interest in investing in German PV-technology companies. “Many corporations are keen to acquire a stake in the photovoltaic sector. They are therefore searching for highly effective technologies ready for mass production. German PV-companies are regarded as excellent partners with an outstanding Know-How“, Dobrott emphasizes. He is convinced that further partnerships between German PV-technology companies and Asian corporations are imminent. For example, in addition to Solarion, Avancis -the German subsidiary of glass manufacturer Saint Gobain- announced its cooperation with Korea’s Hyundai Heavy Industries in order to build a manufacturing plant for thin film solar modules in South Korea.
