Meyer Burger (Germany) GmbH

Meyer Burger is a green-tech company consisting of several entities of which four of them (Meyer Burger Germany GmbH, Meyer Burger Industries GmbH, Meyer Burger Switzerland AG and Meyer Burger Research) take part in the PILATUS project and are shortly introduced below. The overall Meyer Burger company combines innovative cutting-edge technology with tradition and courage to create unique photovoltaic systems, which are manufactured sustainably with our own production equipment.

Meyer Burger (Germany) GmbH (MBG) is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of photovoltaic production equipment and innovative process solutions for highly efficient solar cells. The focus is on equipment for the deposition of passivation and functional layers, but also on complete production lines, e.g. for the manufacturing of heterojunction solar cells. MBG features its own heterojunction pilot production line, where new machines and processes can be evaluated under industrial like conditions.

Meyer Burger (Industries) GmbH (MBI) produces high-performance photovoltaic cells and modules. MBI is using the heterojunction/SmartWire technology (HJT/SWCT^TM) developed within Meyer Burger to lead photovoltaics into a new era worldwide.  To keep the world leading position in the industrialization of cutting-edge PV technology, MBI takes ongoing efforts for transferring latest lab-/demonstration-scale technologies into industrial production with high throughputs and reasonable costs of production.

At the Technology and Product Center in Thun (Switzerland) of Meyer Burger (Switzerland) AG (MBCH), we develop highly efficient cell connection technologies and module designs. Besides process development and optimization, MBCH also invents and industrializes mass production systems that are used at our own module manufacturing facilities. Our SmartWire Connection Technology (SWCT^TM) is a cost-effective method of cell connection, which deploys its full advantage on the novel SHJ tunnel-IBC solar cells.

Meyer Burger Research AG (MBR)’s main mission is to develop high efficiency photovoltaic products based on the heterojunction technology from laboratory scale to industrial level and has been working on HJT since 2008, and IBC cell concepts since 2013.

PILATUS was initiated by Meyer Burger itself because it gives the chance to accelerate the industrialization of a novel advanced cell technology. A high efficiency cell is based on a very complex process flow, which can be developed only in laboratory. As a manufacturer of high-performance photovoltaic cells and modules using the heterojunction/SmartWire technology, Meyer Burger started to lead photovoltaics into a new era. In terms of energy yield and efficiency, we define new standards and combine them with first-class design. Our edge drives us to innovate further every day. For an industrial integration of these processes combined with metrology and digitalization and accompanied by business case assessment, you need a strong consortium for being successful in a short period of time. The chosen partners are most excellent on each of the necessary sectors. A fact that is crucial for our vision.

The project PILATUS proposes to prove the scalability of a unique technology (EU created and owned) for sustainable, cost-competitive, high-performance solar wafers, cells, and modules. This fits perfectly in the strategic goals at Meyer Burger to scale-up new PV technologies, e.g. developed in PILATUS, to an industrial level and to produce high performance PV cells and modules in Germany and Europe. PILATUS’ objective is to show that PV manufacturing of high efficiency solar cells and modules are possible in Europe at a competitive cost.