Meyer Burger Shuts Down Arizona Solar Plant Amid U.S. Policy Uncertainty

According to OFweek Photovoltaic, Meyer Burger has announced the closure of its solar module manufacturing facility in Goodyear, Arizona, resulting in permanent layoffs affecting 355 employees.

source: Meyer Burger

The Goodyear facility commenced operations in June 2024, representing a crucial component of Meyer Burger's U.S. capacity expansion strategy following the closure of its German Freiburg module plant in early 2024. To further scale American production, Meyer Burger had planned to construct a 2GW heterojunction solar cell factory in Colorado to supply the Goodyear module facility.

However, uncertainties stemming from the U.S. presidential election prompted Meyer Burger's board to suspend the Colorado factory project in August 2024, forcing the company to supply necessary cells to the Goodyear facility from Germany.

In November 2024, American energy developer DESRI announced the termination of its 5GW module supply agreement with Meyer Burger—a contract that was fundamental to sustaining Goodyear facility operations.

Subsequently, Meyer Burger found itself in increasingly dire straits. Earlier this year, the company issued earnings guidance projecting 2024 sales of 69.6 million Swiss francs, representing a 48.4% year-over-year decline. EBITDA losses expanded to -210.4 million Swiss francs, compared to -163.6 million Swiss francs in 2023.

In April 2025, Meyer Burger announced a postponement of its annual report release from April 15 to the end of May 2025, pending approval from SIX Exchange Regulation, the Swiss stock exchange's regulatory authority.

Recent turbulence in the U.S. renewable energy market has intensified pressure on the sector. The Trump administration's push to eliminate various renewable energy subsidies, including solar incentives, and its active promotion of related legislation has triggered widespread bankruptcies and closures among domestic solar companies, while solar project development has stagnated. Against this backdrop, Meyer Burger's Goodyear facility closure comes as little surprise.

Fortunately, Meyer Burger has achieved some progress in European markets recently. Its high-efficiency modules have qualified for the highest subsidy tier under Italy's Transizione 5.0 incentive program, and the company has secured supply agreements with IBC Solar, Memodo, and OGT Solar for German-manufactured inventory modules.