Solestial has acquired solar PV manufacturing equipment from Meyer Burger’s German facility to relocate it to the US
The move allows Solestial to fully process its radiation-resistant silicon solar cells – from wafer to cell – within the US
It follows disruptions to its earlier partnership with Meyer Burger after the latter’s German subsidiaries filed for insolvency
Solestial, the space-based US solar technology company, has acquired solar PV manufacturing equipment from Switzerland-headquartered Meyer Burger. It aims to expand its manufacturing capabilities and supply chain control with this transaction, explained the company.
Solestial produces silicon solar cells engineered for space to self-cure radiation damage and packaged in an ultra-thin, low-mass flexible module design that can withstand up to 10 years. The company says it produce these modules on automated machines at costs lower than traditional III-V multijunction solar products.
Under the new deal announced, Solestial is buying additional manufacturing equipment from ‘terrestrial’ solar manufacturer Meyer Burger’s Hohenstain-Ernstthal facility in Germany, shifting its solar cell manufacturing to the US.
Notably, Solestial partnered with Meyer Burger in August 2024 to make flexible solar modules for space use. Solestial supplied its proprietary ultrathin and radiation-hardened silicon wafers to be combined with Meyer Burger’s silicon heterojunction (SHJ) to be processed at the latter’s German fab (see Meyer Burger & Solestial Eye Space For Next-Generation Flexible Modules).
The deal was disrupted in May 2025 after Meyer Burger’s German units filed for insolvency and shut the plant that processed Solestial’s wafers (see Meyer Burger Files Insolvency For 2 German Subsidiaries). Later, Meyer Burger sold off its US solar module production equipment to Waaree and cell equipment to Babacomari Solar North (see Meyer Burger To Sell US Module Production Equipment To Waaree).
Now, Solestial has bought the Meyer Burger manufacturing equipment at the German fab to relocate it to the US, where it operates a factory in Tempe, Arizona. This strategic acquisition, explains Solestial, will enable it to completely process its self-healing silicon solar technology – from wafer to cell – in-house, in the US.
“Our 30,000 square foot facility is fully operational and commissioned for production. With this agreement and other actions underway, we are building an American based supply chain, with 100 percent of our manufacturing in the United States within the next year,” said Solestial CEO Margo de Naray.
Solestial appointed Margo de Naray in May 2025, when it also announced raising $17 million in Series A funding to scale up silicon PV production for space applications (see Solestial Appoints New CEO; Raises $17 Million In Funding).
