Gunter Erfurt becomes Next2Sun Supervisory Board Chairman, leveraging decades of experience in the European solar industry
He previously led solar PV manufacturers SolarWorld and Meyer Burger
Erfurt has also joined US-based Swift Solar as an advisory board member
Gunter Erfurt, one of the renowned names in the European solar PV industry and winner of the Becquerel Prize 2023, has joined vertical solar PV installer Next2Sun AG as the chairman of its supervisory board.
Next2Sun, with its German-Austrian origins, differentiates itself with its vertical installation model using bifacial solar modules that generate power during times of low solar availability, minimizing the use of agricultural land.
“Due to the pending Solar Package I, the environment in the agri-PV sector in Germany remains very challenging – however, we see additional opportunities for our business model due to increasing market value advantages,” said Next2Sun AG CEO, Sascha Krause-Tünker, and welcomed the new Chairman saying, “With Dr. Gunter Erfurt, we have gained a Supervisory Board Chairman who shares our vision and wants to actively drive the energy transition forward with us.”
Erfurt is flanked by Ute Melzer-Metzger and Andreas Roth as the new members of the Next2Sun board.
“Next2Sun is the global pioneer for vertical solar power systems,” said Erfurt on his appointment. “In Germany alone, the potential for additional expansion for vertical system output is in the multi-digit gigawatt range. And the same principle of "negative southern plant cannibalism" applies throughout the world, which in turn means even more expansion potential for Next2Sun.”
Erfurt worked for over 12 years with SolarWorld, leaving it as managing director in 2015. In his last assignment, he led Switzerland-headquartered Meyer Burger Technology AG as its CEO, overseeing the group’s transition from a solar PV manufacturing equipment supplier to a European solar cell and module manufacturer of heterojunction (HJT) technology.
Meyer Burger entered a restructuring phase following financial stress with mounting inventories in the face of cheaper Chinese modules in Europe. It led to Erfurt leaving the company in September 2024 (see Gunter Erfurt Leaves Meyer Burger As Company Initiates Restructuring).
Since June 2025, Erfurt has also taken up the role of advisory board member at the US-based solar technology company Swift Solar, which is a spin-off of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Stanford University, and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL).