How did solar modules sales at Solarwatt perform in 2021?
Detlef Neuhaus: Very well, in 2021 we sold around 380 megawatts. We could have done half a gigawatt if Covid hadn't hindered us. We are currently ramping up our new F8 factory, but unfortunately that is not going as fast as we would like.
Is it a matter of missing parts?
In this case, not so much. Because of Covid, some specialists from our service providers had to be quarantined, that happened to us several times. If a PLC programmer for the robots is out for a fortnight, you can't simply compensate for that. But we are confident that we will be able to use the F8 at full capacity from spring 2022. Then our new production of glass-glass modules will grow to 250 megawatts a year.
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How large was the share of glass-glass modules last year?
We sold about 40 per cent glass-glass modules and 60 per cent glass-foil, which we no longer produce ourselves. I expect the share of glass-glass to remain similar in 2022. We want to further increase our market share in the premium segment of solar private customers. In 2021, we had between twelve and 16 per cent, and we want to further expand our position there.
What is your target for 2022?
Half a gigawatt, at least. The demand is enormous, we have an excellent order backlog. We are practically sold out of solar modules until mid-April. That's why the F8 is so important to us.
How did the launch of the new Battery Flex AC-1 go?
The demand is huge, but here we actually had to struggle with missing parts. Especially semiconductor components and circuit boards are missing. We could immediately deliver a whole year's production, that's how high our order backlog is. The bottleneck in electronic components is causing us real pain: we know we have a great product, but we can't deliver it at the moment.
You have a strong partner in BMW in the background. Has that helped with purchasing?
Absolutely, but unfortunately it doesn't work miracles. At the moment, electronics are like the Wild West. I have never experienced anything like it. We had just finished developing our new storage unit when the supply crisis started. We had to reorder the parts and adapt replacement components. That tied up considerable capacities in product development.
How has the new storage unit been received by the installers?
Excellent, we were overrun with orders. The difficulties in completing and delivering the units are all the more bitter. We can only confirm the orders to the installers when we have finished assembling the storage units. It has already happened that suppliers have moved us at short notice, even though our orders were confirmed.
Will the supply crisis still affect us in 2022?
I assume so. We are helped by the relationship of trust that we have built up with our specialist partners from the installing trade over the past ten years. As soon as we are able to deliver, we will deliver.
What does this mean for the planned Battery Flex AC-3, the new three-phase solar battery from Solarwatt?
At the moment we assume that we will not be able to launch it on the market this year. In order to normalise the delivery of the AC-1, we are initially concentrating our capacities on this product. I hope that we can return to a normal business with manageable delivery times in 2022.
How many installation partners do you currently have?
We currently have around 200 premium partners worldwide - about half of them in Germany. We then offer the installers, for example, tools and services that simplify the planning and implementation of the systems. We want to further expand this network of partners in order to close white spots.
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How do you assess the past year overall for Solarwatt?
Despite all the adversities, we had a strong year: we made a turnover of 160 million euros in 2021, 40 million euros more than in the previous year. As planned, we are expanding our workforce, we currently have around 600 employees. I hope that we can further accelerate our success story in 2022. We are planning on a turnover of 260 million euros this year.
What support do you expect from political sphere?
In our segment, the premium systems for private end customers, public policy hardly plays a role. Rising energy prices - also for natural gas - are driving the market. The prices won't really reach energy customers until February or March 2022, when the bills for 2021 start to arrive. With photovoltaics and heat pumps, energy costs can be reduced by 80 per cent. So our approach to sector coupling is a complete success, as we can see from the orders. (HS/mfo)
