The German photo-electric equipment manufacturer Solarwatt says it will stop the production of solar modules at its factory in Dresden this summer due to what it called "unfavourable conditions."
Solarwatt announced in Dresden on Monday that production of cells with a capacity of 300 megawatts is to be discontinued at the end of August.
"The aggressive cut-throat competition in the solar industry leaves us with no other choice," said Managing Director Detlef Neuhaus.
However, the experience in the development and optimization of photovoltaic hardware will be retained at the Dresden site. If market conditions should improve, production could be resumed quickly, the company says.
The suspension of German production affects around 190 employees. The company says it intends to offer as many employees as possible a job, for example as fitters, service staff or planners. Solarwatt employs 750 people across Europe, 650 of them in Germany.
German companies have been complaining for some time about competition from cheap modules produced in China. At the end of March, another company, Meyer Burger, finalized the closure of its site in eastern Germany with the loss of around 500 jobs.
