Surge in German rooftop market lifts SolarWorld to Q1 profit

SolarWorld surprised investors by bouncing back to profitability in the first quarter on the strength of the German rooftop market, but broader trends within the company hint at tough times ahead.

With sweeping amendments to Germany’s Renewable Energy Act (EEG) poised to pass in the upper house Bundesrat on 11 May, finalising a tough new regime of regular feed-in tariff cuts, German consumers once again raced to install PV systems to lock in present rates.

Berlin has already taken steps to tilt the market away from ground-mounted arrays, so companies like SolarWorld, which has one of the most respected brand names in the PV business, benefitted from the surge in rooftop installations.

The Bonn-based company chalked up a group profit of €7.2m…

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