Schott moving away from c-Si production

[SibertSolar]

Solar shakeout: Schott Solar announces surprise exit from c-Si manufacturing - PV-Tech

Interesting, if somewhat inevitable perhaps? I guess premium quality doesn't outweigh low cost forever....

 

[daytona600]

schott have been at it since the beginning of PV over 50years but no one in europe can get anywhere near chinese costs
will there be Any european suppliers left in the near future , Maybe europe should follow the states with import tarrifs to protect european jobs Dont want any more Qcells , solon and many others

 

[Gavin A]

thing is, schott hadn't been keeping up with the competition.

Their mono panels peaked with the 195wp panels vs eg 200Wp from phono and others, and they never produced a 250Wp panel, which ruled them out of the top end of the 4kWp domestic market in the UK.

they also only had black framed modules in the 195Wp models.

Essentially I think they rested on their laurels a bit too much, and the writing really was on the wall from the point they didn't develop their production capabilities to compete properly at the top end of the market. It's nie on impossible to persuade someone that a 240Wp schott poly panel is going to be a better buy than a less expensive mono 250 or even 265Wp panel from a none EU manufacturer.

 

[SibertSolar]

I think you're probably right Gavin. They were alway a very high-quality manufacturer, unrivalled in their day I reckon. I've been trying for the past couple of years to help them save costs by introducing alternatives to their c-Si module BOMs but they are so process-driven and so encumbered with due process that it's a 12-18month process when factoring in the TUV re-certification etc.

Schott were always trying to differentiate themselves from the rest as an extremely high-quality and robust product. Even to the extent that they took the IEC testing requirements for the modules and pretty much doubled the criteria to prove their modules were way outperforming the IEC spec's. Perhaps this level of somewhat excessive performance criteria has been intrinsic to their inability to compete against the Asian supply-base, I don't know.

 

[daytona600]

agree schott lost there edge many years ago example there 300wp panel was shocking low effciency and vastly overpriced
pv market if you are expensive you have to offer something different from the market USP
lots of euro suppliers trying with branded sino modules As sibert says about BOS even simple change to phoenix module box with sunclix connectors to plug straight into sma inverters , for quicker installs for a tooless system would have be something different
12-18month design cycles in this market , you may as well just shut up shop

 

[Energetic]

We did a lot of Schott last year, we sold on value not price, but this year they are not as good value as the price drop has not been consistent among all manufacturers.

We'll miss them if they go, but not the tyco connectors...

 

[LightGEN]

A shame really, we liked their panels for installations up in the hills, where it gets a bit breezy at times.