News: Photovoltaics
1 November 2021
Midsummer receives €38m in Italian grants to set up solar roof production plant in Bari
Together with the Italian Ministry for Economic Development (MISE) and Invitalia (the Italian Ministry of Finance’s state investment and economic development institution), the Puglia regional authorities have confirmed that Midsummer AB of Järfälla, near Stockholm, Sweden – a provider of turnkey production lines as well as flexible, lightweight copper indium gallium diselenide (CIGS) thin-film solar panels for building-integrated photovoltaics (BIPV) – will receive incentives of about €38m in the form of grants and soft loans to build a factory and commence manufacturing of light, discreet and environmentally friendly thin-film solar roofs in Bari, Puglia, Italy for the global market.
The production capacity at the Italian factory will be 50MW per year. Midsummer’s production capacity will hence expand will tenfold, says CEO Sven Lindström. “The finished factory will make Midsummer the largest producer of thin-film solar cells in Europe,” he reckons.
Midsummer has already purchased a plant in Bari in southern Italy. The subsidiary Midsummer Italia will own and operate the factory and, in the initial stage, will order a number of DUO solar cell production systems from its parent company, as well as recruiting staff in both Italy and Sweden. The factory is expected to commence production in summer 2022.
The entire project represents an investment of about €66m, of which Midsummer will receive about 35% in grants and 23% in ‘soft loans’ from the Italian state via its investment arm Invitalia, whose aim is to increase Italy’s economic growth and focuses on strategic sectors for development and employment (including renewable energy).
Demand for Midsummer’s solar roofs is very strong in the Nordic countries, with an increase in order intake for third-quarter 2021 of 500%. The solar roofs manufactured in Italy will be sold to customers in mainly southern Europe. Midsummer comments that Italy offers homeowners favorable subsidies (of over 100%) for the installation of solar cells, allowing owners of private property to install solar cells on their houses at no cost.
Midsummer’s Italian factory and its grants and loans comprise the first Swedish project to be included in Italy’s ‘Recovery and Resilience plan’, which covers a total of just over €190bn from the EU.
The decision was announced just after a visit to Italy by a large Swedish trade delegation, in which Midsummer took part. Other members of the delegation were Sweden’s Crown Princess Victoria and Prince Daniel, Sweden’s Minister for Foreign Trade and Nordic Affairs Anna Hallberg and Sweden’s Ambassador to Italy Jan Björklund.
“Midsummer’s expansion in Italy is a concrete example of cooperation between Sweden and Italy that is beneficial to both countries and well aligned with several of the trade delegation’s focus areas – renewable energy and innovative technology,” says Björklund, Sweden’s Ambassador to Italy.
”We truly appreciate the support that has been given to us from the Swedish Embassy in Rome, the Ministry for Foreign Affairs and Business Sweden,” comments Lindström.
Midsummer’s Q2 solar roof order intake up 380% year-on-year
Midsummer’s solar panel orders grow by 550% year-on-year in Q1
