The project was announced on 11 January by the ministers of economy, (LSAP), and energy, (déi Gréng), in the presence of Marc Thein, chairman of the management board of , and Fred Conrads, CEO of Evocells. The two companies have created Solarcells, the entity that will be in charge of producing photovoltaic panels and based on the former site of the cigarette manufacturer , a 

“We needed a site with a 100m2 long hall, to be able to install a straight production line,” Marc Thein explains. The relevant part of the former cigarette factory site is still available for seven to eight years before a new project is developed there. “To start production quickly, this site seemed ideal to us at first.” Work has not yet started, but the establishment permit was granted on the same day as the official announcement, according to those involved.

Solarcells has announced that production will start in September 2023, with a target of 100,000 panels per year at first and around 20 jobs. The manufacturer plans to double its production capacity by 2026. The cost of the operation is €5m, shared equally between the two groups.

Joining forces to bring down costs

A major player in technical building engineering in Luxembourg since 1971, the Socom group (1,200 employees) has chosen to join forces with the Belgian group EvoCells, a manufacturer and installer of photovoltaic panels (30,000 pieces produced per year) to diversify, but also to pool purchases of raw materials and secure supplies. This was done with a view to lowering costs, drawing on Evocells’ experience and network and Socom’s expertise in energy transition.

“We did not benefit from state subsidies, because the size of our company did not allow for this and there is no shortage of labour in our sector,” says Thein. The photovoltaic panels produced in Luxembourg benefit from state-of-the-art technology, which gives them excellent profitability (more than 400Wp) and a long service life of over 10 years. They will carry the IEC version’ 16 certification according to the standards of the International Electrotechnical Commission.

Evocells will continue to produce its solar panels for Belgium and Solarcells will focus on the Luxembourg market. Michel Thein, previously a buyer at Socom, has been appointed managing director of Solarcells Luxembourg. In the long term, the factory will diversify its production.

This story was first published in French on . It has been translated and edited for Delano.