The European industrial initiative xGWp intended to establish a Gigawatt-sized photovoltaic cell and module production based on next-generation technologies in Europe. The main partners were: FhG – Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft (Munich), CEA – French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission (Paris), CSEM SA (Neuchâtel), and Meyer-Burger AG (Thun). Previously, the three research centres Fh-ISE, CEA-INES, and CSEM had contributed to developing the Heterojunction Technology for which Meyer-Burger AG developed and provided production equipment. Ruggero Schleicher-Tappeser was appointed to coordinate the initiative. The partners planned to build a 50 MWp demonstration line (cells and modules) and subsequently a 1 GWp factory. In several task forces involving specialists from the partners, technical, legal, and business planning advanced rapidly, and a large factory site had been secured in Alsace. After intense negotiations and a successful due diligence, an important French company was ready to take over the industrial responsibility and most of the investment - but after its sudden withdrawal amidst political and financial difficulties, no alternative could be found. In the context of faltering political support for PV markets across Europe, no strong industrial player was willing to take on the risk of assuming industrial responsibility and to convince potential financiers.

Publications:

• Weber, Eicke, and Schleicher-Tappeser, Ruggero (2015): Need and opportunities for a strong European Photovoltaic Industry – The xGWp Approach. Presentation. „Scientific Support to Europe‘s Photovoltaic Manufacturing Industry“ Round Table of the European Forum for Science and Industry Brussels, January 27, 2015.
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• Ruggero Schleicher-Tappeser (2015): EU-Kommission scheint aufzuwachen – Hilfe für schwächelnde Solarindustrie. Interview. PV Magazine
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