However, losses from the discontinued solar unit continued to drag down overall company results at the German industrial giant, which said its solar exit plan remains “a complicated matter”.

Wind Power revenue surged 27% in the first quarter from a year earlier as the company continued to work through its order backlog, chief financial officer (CFO) Joe Kaeser told journalists.

That helped the division to a €52m ($69m) profit in the three months ending 31 December, compared to a €26m loss a year earlier.

However,