Meyer Burger to Expand into Solar Roof Tiles, Acquires Related IP

Meyer Burger Technology AG is planning to expand its portfolio to include a roof-integrated high-performance solar system, which can be easily installed like traditional roof tiles.

Thun-headquartered mechanical engineering company, Meyer Burger Technology AG develops and produces systems with which solar cells can be manufactured and electrically connected.

To accelerate the product launch, the firm has acquired the rights to a solar roof tile solution including all associated patents, certifications, and building authority approval from an engineering service provider in Germany who specializes in innovations in the fields of photovoltaics and electromobility. The parties have agreed not to disclose the purchase price. All intellectual property (IP) and extensive know-how have become the property of Meyer Burger.

Its new solar roof is expected to be presented for the first time at the Intersolar trade fair from October 6th to 8th, 2021 in Munich. The first deliveries to customers are to take place in the second half of 2022.

As part of the growth strategy in the roof segment, Meyer Burger plans to use this highly innovative product to significantly increase its market demand for solar roof tiles and to strengthen its sustainable business development.

"Integrated solar roof systems are still a niche market today. With our new solar tile solution, we are planning to move roof-integrated solutions out of the niche and into a larger market. It thus enables a perfect addition to our portfolio of premium products and is a further consequent step within our growth strategy," said Gunter Erfurt, CEO of Meyer Burger.

The target applications are private roof systems with completely new or replacement roofing, objects in redevelopment and monument protection areas, houses with limited roof load, and aesthetically particularly demanding roof installations.

Gunter added, "So far there is great potential for PVs on roofs because standard modules are out of the question for various reasons, but the existing roof-integrated solutions are not satisfactory. Our heterojunction (HJT) / SmartWire technology in combination with a sophisticated system solution now enables a unique product."