We already announced it in our 2023 annual review: 2024 will be an exciting year for the PV industry and especially for us at IBC SOLAR. At the turn of the year, there was a major change at the top of our company, as Udo Möhrstedt, founder and CEO, has withdrawn from the executive board and has moved to the supervisory board. In this blog post, we give a small outlook on the coming year and let our new CEO Dr Dirk Haft say a few words.
First, a brief review
The German solar market experienced an impressive upswing in 2023. According to current figures from the Federal Association of Solar Industry (BSW), the expansion of solar energy in Germany has almost doubled within a year, with an astonishing increase of 85 percent in 2023 compared to the previous year. In the home segment, an increase of 135 percent to a sensational 7 gigawatts was recorded, accompanied by around 9 gigawatt-hours of installed home storage in Germany alone.
For IBC SOLAR, the year 2023 went very positively. We reacted early to the boom and prepared ourselves successfully for it. In addition to strong growth in the roof segment and in project business, we were able to significantly expand new customer business. Our product portfolio was enlarged, the system and solution business expanded, and a new sales structure was implemented. The introduction of new digitization and automation tools also made us leaner, faster, and more flexible, which also greatly benefited our international business. As a result, we were able to achieve impressive growth in other European countries and on international markets such as South Africa.
Outlook 2024: We continue to focus on growth and digitalization
For the year 2024, we plan to even better support our premium partners with comprehensive digital solutions to avoid installation bottlenecks, such as those that arose in 2023. With the goal of growing stronger than the market, we look optimistically into the future.
“Photovoltaics can play all its trump cards in 2024: It is cost-effective, flexible in size and location, storable, and above all environmentally friendly. The high growth potential in Germany is not only evident in the ongoing interest in home solutions, but also in the increasing demand in the commercial segment,” explains Dr Dirk Haft, CEO at IBC SOLAR.
“However, the decisions of the federal government remain of central importance for further market development. To further strengthen the industry, it should quickly pass the solar package to avoid slowing down the successful course. Then we are optimistic that 2024 will be another successful year for the photovoltaic market and IBC SOLAR.”
Dr Dirk Haft took over the chairmanship of the board from founder Udo Möhrstedt on 01. January 2024. The latter moved to the supervisory board. More information about the change of leadership and further plans for the coming time can be found here.