Another bites the dust. One of the last production facilities in Germany is closed in view of the ongoing price pressure.
The Deutsche Zeitung Nordkurier reports that there will be a “proper” phase from the production in the only production facility of Aleo Solar GmbH, which is located in Prenzlau. The production in the facility with an annual production capacity of almost 500 MW is set as soon as the existing resources are used up. The shutdown affects 110 employees who are supported by the transition by a “social plan”.
Aleo was founded in 2001 and acquired by the Bosch group of companies in 2009 by a majority share. Bosch announced that in 2013 she was leaving the Solar Manufacturing scene and being recorded in 2014 by Taiwanese semiconductor -Gel -giant -Sas (Sino American Silicon Products).
The company does not intend to completely rule out what will be a relief for those who have sun collectors. The company states that it is investigating new ways to continue a core team that will remain without providing further details.
Among other things, Solarwatt (August 2024), which also quoted economic reasons and difficulties in Germany under the prevailing conditions. In another case “If you cannot beat you, join ’em”, Solarwatt has moved production to China.
In February last year, the Swiss Solar Panel manufacturer Meyer Burger said that it is setting up production in Germany. But instead of a shift to China, it is now manufacturing modules in Goodyear, Arizona.
Aleo solar modules and Australia
While the company’s solar collectors were never set up here, it had been available in Australia for several years – although yesterday I checked more than a dozen local wholesalers and were still able to do their modules. There are currently 20 Aleo Leo models on the approved module list of the Clean Energy Council, from 340 W to 410 W.
One of the outstanding features of the company’s Leo panels, which were introduced in 2022, is hail resistance. Most manufacturers work on the standard IIC 61215 test, in which modules can withstand 25 mm hailstones that travel with 23 m/s, but Leo panels have 40 mm hailstone resistance (hail class 4) 1.
Although we do not have many reviews from Aleo sun collectors on solar quotas, there were generally positive.
Aleo offered a 25-year product and a 25-year performance guarantee for the CEC listed panels. The Nordkurier report does not mention any guarantee agreements as soon as the production ends. Information about what will happen with warranty support in the future should inquire Australian owners with the company that has installed their solar collectors, since they also have warranty obligations.
For other Australians who long for the solar panels produced in Germany, I am not sure who is selected. There are a number of companies that claim “German engineering”, but this is usually a reliable flag that is produced elsewhere – and often in China.
German solar production was generally excellent, but it is not all and the end. Some high -quality panels have come from China and elsewhere for many years, but sometimes the manufacturers still hide their origin or mention them in a tiny print2, which nobody does. When unveiling, it can raise questions about what else the company hides or hides.
If you are looking for good PV modules, read the solar panel brands recommended by solar quotes and which Australian installers in the SQ network in 2025 selected the best solar modules.
Footnot
- Among the solar modules with 40 mm hail resistance available in Australia are some models from Aiko Solar and Winaico. ↩
- I recently looked at a data sheet from another German company in which “Made in China Made” was mentioned on the last page and were pushed into the correct edge when printing. ↩
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