Analysis

July 19, 2023

Is Germany clawing back its solar tech prowess?

Germany’s once-thriving solar manufacturing industry has almost entirely disappeared — but new leaders in PV innovation and consumer models have emerged


Solar panels on Crete.

You may have heard of Silicon Valley — but what about Solar Valley? That was the nickname bestowed on an industrial area of east Germany in the early 2000s when generous state subsidies drove a solar panel manufacturing boom. The country once held 54% of the European solar market share. 

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An Enpal PR photo of two men installing solar panels on a roof
Photo: Enpal
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Headshot of Mario Kohle
Mario Kohle, Enpal's cofounder and CEO
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Freya Pratty

Freya Pratty is Sifted's associate editor. She covers UK tech and leads Sifted's investigations. Follow her on X , LinkedIn and Bluesky

Sadia Nowshin

Sadia Nowshin was a reporter at Sifted covering foodtech, biotech and startup life. Follow her on X and LinkedIn

Miriam Partington

Miriam Partington was a senior reporter at Sifted, based in Berlin. She covered the DACH region and the future of work, and wrote Startup Life , a weekly newsletter on what it takes to build a startup.

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