Solar panel manufacturer Elsun is trying to conquer a piece of the world market from Roden. It is not easy to compete against cheap Chinese imports. ‘I can also sell them for 50 euros each.’
But a fraction of the solar panels used in our country are also made here. The Netherlands imports around 10 million pieces every year, mainly from China and South Korea. In addition, another 30 million are shipped via the port in Rotterdam to elsewhere in Europe.
Since 2019, more than 10,000 panels have been made annually by Elsun in Roden. The company originated from Elton, also located in that location. It was founded by Jan Dijksterhuis, who moved to Roden from Wassenaar seventy years ago. With 70 employees, Elton produces more than 1,500 different profiles for windows in doors, which are sold in 23 countries in Europe.
Garage box
“My grandfather started with draft proofing products in his garage. That went so well that he wanted to expand. But that wasn’t possible there. He started searching in the Netherlands and ended up in Roden, where they wanted to have industry. My grandmother then made the decision. She said: I want to go somewhere else, but it has to be near a big city. That was Groningen,” says Jakob Jan Dijksterhuis, production and sales manager of Elsun.
“We are the only producer of solar panels in the Northern Netherlands. There are also a few factories elsewhere in the country,” says Dijksterhuis, who studied electrical engineering in Groningen. Elsun panels are sold directly to installers. Solar energy is used in the production: there are more than 1,200 solar panels on the roof of the factory.
“Everyone has their own market and their own specific product. Our most important is a panel that is slightly smaller and lighter at just under 16 kilos and therefore easier to install. And we recently introduced a panel with a kind of green camouflage print. It blends in very well with the landscape. It is also possible in terracotta or red. The disadvantage is that the yield is smaller due to this print. But some people take that for granted,” said Elsun’s production manager.
More power
He says there is a 25-year warranty on the panels and power. Elsun claims that the panels made in Roden retain more power than those from Asia, due to the use of better materials. Solar panels age under the influence of the weather, meaning they can convert less and less sunlight into electricity. According to the manufacturer, the panels from Roden still deliver a power of 92.5 percent after 25 years, more than many other panels.
Admittedly, production in our country is expensive. And although a lot is done with robots, quite a few human hands are also involved. Dijksterhuis: “You can see that in the price of the panel, which is higher than the import from China. We try to get as many components as possible from Europe, which in itself is more expensive than stuff from Asia. We have the feeling that a lot from China is also being dumped on the European market, things are selling for less than the cost price. We can also sell things below cost price. I can sell a panel for 50 euros. That means that in three years I won’t be able to sell anything anymore, because then I will be bankrupt.”
Product from the Netherlands
“You are now seeing a change. Things are slowly moving in the right direction. Imports from China may be slightly restricted or a tax imposed. And more people are willing to pay a little extra for a good product made in the Netherlands. They say: give me those Dutch panels, even though they are more expensive. And fortunately that group is growing.”
Elsun’s machinery mainly comes from Italy, as a tour of the factory shows. The solar panels are assembled in a number of steps from various components such as glass, plastic and solar cells soldered together. Dijksterhuis calls them ‘flattened batteries’. There are sixty in a panel. An aluminum frame is then placed around it and each panel has a connection box. Finally, all panels are carefully tested three times.
“We can scale up production considerably if necessary and grow to 80,000 panels. In principle we can make what the customer asks for,” says Dijksterhuis. Initially there were plans to build more than 200,000 panels per year. “But that is only possible if we compete with the Chinese market. Then you also have to make a larger panel for a lower cost price. I don’t see that happening in Europe unless there is a tax.”
Boarded up
He does not rule out that Elsun will also supply the US in the future. “America has completely closed down the Chinese market. Our panels would fit in perfectly there, also in terms of sales price. We should export or set up a factory there. We haven’t gotten that far yet, so we first need to gain expertise.”
Elsun is currently running break even : the income is just enough to cover the costs. “You shouldn’t think that if you start making solar panels you will become very rich,” says Dijksterhuis. “We are northerners, we don’t honk that loudly. We are quite modest. We also like what we do here. That is indeed a bit of idealism.”
He also sees this with many customers. “They find us via the website and then call. They would like Dutch panels. Because of the quality and the fact that they are not made with slave labor. People pay for an honest product. They pay the actual cost for a panel.”
“You also see in the area that people like to have panels on their roofs that come from their own village. In Roden, but also in Groningen. And we also receive a lot of requests from the south of the country.”
Elsun is open from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. during the Open Energy Day on September 16. Address: 2e Energieweg 5, Roden.