Autarq celebrates one million solar roof tiles made in Prenzlau

Prenzlau, July 18, 2024

Yesterday at 9:21 a.m. the time had come: Autarq's one millionth solar roof tile left the production line. The climate-tech company from Prenzlau celebrated this important milestone with partners and employees, thereby sending a strong signal for the economy and the energy transition in Germany, especially in Brandenburg.

Autarq develops and produces a technology that turns standard clay roof tiles from partners such as CREATON and Jacobi-Walther into powerful solar roof tiles that represent an aesthetic and flexible alternative to conventional solar modules. This technology is a great solution, especially for listed buildings, as it blends seamlessly into existing roof structures.

Representatives of Autarq’s partner CREATON and Marek Wöller-Beetz from the city of Prenzlau were also on site to celebrate the day. Wöller-Beetz praised the company: "I am pleased that Autarq is making an alternative to normal solar panels possible, which the city of Prenzlau is happy to support. This is an important alternative, especially for monument protection."

Cornelius Paul, founder of Autarq, was also pleased: “The first million is the hardest. We are proud to have reached this important milestone together with the Autarq team and are very optimistic about the future.” 

The success is also a sign of the positive economic development in the region. Brandenburg has invested significantly in renewable energies in recent years and is one of the leading federal states in Germany when it comes to the expansion of solar and wind power plants. In 2023, photovoltaic systems with a net output of 5.72 gigawatts (GW) were in operation in Brandenburg* (News from Berlin and Brandenburg). By 2030, the installed output is expected to rise to 18 gigawatts, which means a tripling (News from Berlin and Brandenburg).

Founded in 2011 by electrical engineer Cornelius Paul, climate tech pioneer Autarq is now one of the most innovative players in the European solar industry. Simple, safe and aesthetic: For the Autarq solar roof tile system, clay roof tiles from Jacobi-Walther and CREATON are semi-automatically refined into powerful solar roof tiles. With the patented wire harness, they form a building-integrated solar solution that is the only one on the market to operate in safe low voltage and highly adaptive parallel connection, and does not require any power electronics on the roof. The company, under Managing Director Kai Buntrock, is pursuing the mission of making the technology as simple and safe as possible for users to purchase, install and operate, and to advance the energy transition from and within Europe. Autarq GmbH has been part of econnext AG since 2017.