Chinese group Das Solar has begun work on its first industrial site in Europe, located in the town of Mandeure near Montbéliard in eastern France. The investment amounts to €109mn ($116mn) for a photovoltaic panel assembly plant built on a 10-hectare industrial wasteland acquired from the Pays de Montbéliard urban community.
The new facility will feature two production lines, with an initial total annual capacity of 2 gigawatts (GW). The modules produced will be intended for floating solar infrastructures, rooftops, or canopies. According to Frédéric Barbier, director of the installation project, the panels will use the “N-TOPCon” technology already deployed in the group’s Asian facilities.
An expansion project subject to demand
Das Solar is also planning a second production unit of 2 GW in the region, bringing the total investment to €190mn ($202mn). However, the implementation of this second phase will depend on the volume of incoming orders, Barbier said.
Founded in 2018, Das Solar currently operates 14 factories worldwide, with a total capacity of 55 GW. Its turnover for 2023 reached $3.71bn (€3.2bn), according to company data.
Industrial ecosystem planned in Doubs
In addition to this first development, Das Solar is considering building a photovoltaic cell manufacturing plant in Sochaux, upstream in the production chain. This project could involve a €650mn ($692mn) investment and the creation of 2,500 jobs, including the relocation of component suppliers such as adhesive film, connector and aluminium frame manufacturers.
Rémi Bastille, Prefect of the Doubs, stated that the government would provide financial support for the initiative, though no specific details have been disclosed. Representatives from the employers’ federation Union des industries et métiers de la métallurgie (UIMM) have already travelled to China to help define the job profiles required.
Industrial partnerships and research support
Das Solar has also signed an agreement with utility group Suez for the recycling of end-of-life panels, along with a partnership with the Institut photovoltaïque d’Île-de-France for research and development purposes. The strategy aims to establish a regional industrial cluster around the solar sector, although the company has not disclosed a timeline for the potential projects.
Two other large-scale photovoltaic panel factories are also planned in France. HoloSolis is developing a site in Hambach (Moselle), while Carbon is planning a plant in Fos-sur-Mer, near Marseille.
