Sovello
| Sovello GmbH
|
|
|---|---|
 |
|
| legal form | GmbH |
| founding | 2005 |
| resolution | 2012 |
| Reason for dissolution | insolvency |
| Seat |
Bitterfeld-Wolfen , Germany
|
| management | Lucas F. Flöther ( insolvency administrator ) |
| Number of employees | 1,250 (June 2011) |
| sales | 219 million euros (2008) |
| Branch | Development, manufacture and marketing of solar modules |
The Sovello GmbH has been an integrated manufacturer of solar wafers , solar cells and solar modules based in Bitterfeld-Wolfen , Sachsen-Anhalt . The wafers manufactured at Sovello on the basis of the string-ribbon process are made of polycrystalline silicon . In May 2012, the company filed for bankruptcy . Production and the closure of the plant were planned for September 2012 as part of the procedure .
Products
Sovello manufactured all the components of a photovoltaic module for generating electricity from sunlight. The intermediate products are:
- Solar wafer : approx. 0.2 millimeter flat disks made of silicon, which are manufactured on the basis of the production process patented by Evergreen Solar, Inc. They form the starting material for the solar cells.
- Solar cells : The smallest technical units for converting sunlight into electrical energy. The wafers are cleaned and chemically treated in several processing steps. The resulting solar batteries are provided with power lines.
- Solar modules : The solar cells are connected to one another by electrical cables and put together to form a module. They consist of a rear wall made of plastic, a top made of safety glass and an aluminum frame.
Foundation and development
The company was founded as EverQ GmbH in 2005 as a joint venture between three listed world market leaders in the solar industry: Q-Cells AG (Q-Cells, Bitterfeld-Wolfen, Saxony-Anhalt), Evergreen Solar (Evergreen, Marlboro, USA ) and Renewable Energy Corporation ASA (REC, Høvik , Norway ). The purpose of the foundation was a feasibility study of the production process patented by Evergreen, in which wafers are not sawn, but rather pulled from a silicon melt using the surface tension between two wires. In November 2008 the conversion into Sovello AG took place and in April 2010 Sovello was taken over by Ventizz Capital Fund IV, LP. In December 2011, Sovello changed its name to a GmbH.
Most recently, Sovello operated three production sites in the so-called Solar Valley in Bitterfeld-Wolfen, Saxony-Anhalt. The first plant started production in June 2006. In June 2007, Sovello put the second production facility into operation after a year of construction. With this second plant, the company's technical production capacity has reached around 100 MWp . The third production facility SV3 with a technical capacity of around 80 MWp was put into operation in 2009.
Location
Sovello produced in the so-called Solar Valley Thalheim , a district of Bitterfeld-Wolfen, which has developed into one of the world's largest centers of the solar industry through the settlement of various manufacturers of the photovoltaic industry. Around 3,500 people work at the Thalheim site. The Solar Valley Thalheim is part of the Bitterfeld Chemical and Industrial Park.
insolvency
On May 14, 2012, the company filed for insolvency at the Dessau-Roßlau district court ; On August 1, 2012, the court finally rejected the application of the company's management for insolvency on its own responsibility incontestably based on a unanimous vote of the creditors' committee and appointed an insolvency administrator . A restructuring was initially supposed to take place internally, but failed, so that the company was affected by the insolvency.
On August 21, 2012, it became known that the insolvent company will cease production completely and give its employees a resignation. Insolvency administrator Lucas Flöther emphasized that this step was inevitable: "Unfortunately, the company's financial situation makes this step necessary," said the insolvency administrator. The search for an investor, which has so far been unsuccessful, is to be continued until the final closure at the beginning of September.
Individual evidence
- ↑ Sovello dismisses all employees ( memento from August 23, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) in Tagesschau.de, August 21, 2012
- ^ Sovello announces all employees in Handelsblatt, August 21, 2012