In the photovoltaic sector

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Fronius boss Elisabeth Engelbrechtsmüller-Strauß.(Bild: Fronius International GmbH)

What happens when subsidies run out overnight? Installers, electricians and the like have apparently been confronted with an abrupt standstill in new orders and even cancellations since the subsidy pot for boiler replacement under the motto "Get out of oil and gas" has been fished out. Elisabeth Engelbrechtsmüller-Strauß therefore insists on predictability with regard to the domestic solar market. 

Initially, supply chain problems meant that Fronius was unable to deliver as many inverters as ordered. When the expansion of the production lines in Sattledt (Upper Austria) and Krumlov (Czech Republic), which cost around 420 million euros, was completed and 2,000 new employees were hired, demand flattened out. This was also due to the fact that wholesalers and installers had built up huge stocks in the wake of the semiconductor and energy crisis.

All of this meant that the family-run company operating from Pettenbach had to let go of around 1000 employees in the summer of 2024. It was a painful cut, but there was no alternative. The management team also underwent a streamlining process.

"The right time to invest"
The company is now focused on the future and wants to radiate confidence. "The year 2025 is the right time to invest in a photovoltaic system," emphasizes Elisabeth Engelbrechtsmüller-Strauß, for example, and insists on "energy sovereignty" and "future-oriented climate protection".

As an industry, we are not opposed to a reduction in the volume of subsidies, as long as this reduction - distributed evenly across all sectors - is necessary for budget restructuring. However, it is important that everyone knows where they stand and can plan ahead. We will need much more electricity in the future.

Elisabeth Engelbrechtsmüller-Strauß in Richtung der zukünftigen Bundesregierung

"Above all, a successful economy needs planning security, confidence and trust. This is especially true for the solar market," the entrepreneur is convinced. From Fronius' point of view, the VAT exemption for photovoltaic systems should expire at the end of 2025, as originally planned.

"This will allow PV installers and interested customers to implement PV systems in a predictable environment," says the woman who is responsible for more than 7,000 employees and is pinning her hopes on the new Made-in-Europe bonus for renewable energy generation systems. She makes one thing clear: "In times of geopolitical upheaval, we must be careful not to become dependent on China in the field of photovoltaics, which we will not be able to reverse later."