Competition is intensifying in the production of solar panels in France. While two gigafactories are due to come into service at the end of 2026 or the beginning of 2027 – those of Holosolis, in Moselle, and Carbon, in Bouches-du-Rhône –, the Chinese DAS Solar could well undermine their politeness. This industrialist announced, on November 18, his intention to open a factory in June 2025 in Doubs, in the Pays-de-Montbéliard agglomeration community, at the same time as he signed the land purchase protocol.
After bicycles, signs
This would be the group’s first establishment in Europe. Founded in 2018 in the Shanghai region, the company today has fourteen factories in China, with 8,900 employees and a cumulative capacity of 55 gigawatts (GW).
The chosen site is located in the town of Mandeure. The wasteland belonged to the equipment manufacturer Forvia (formerly Faurecia) which manufactured transmission systems there. The intercommunal structure bought it three years ago. This place is steeped in history: it is where Peugeot assembled its bicycles and mopeds in the last century.
The plant would have an annual capacity of 3 GW – compared to 5 GW for those of Carbon and Holosolis – for an investment of 109 million euros. DAS Solar also promises the creation of“at least 450 jobs initially”, with recruitment which should even begin before the end of the year, explained its vice-president, Shi Si. She chose to come there to present her project, before going to Paris to the congress of mayors, mid -November, where the company had a stand.
Green light from the Élysée
The well-oiled communication operation was orchestrated by Frédéric Barbier, the representative of DAS Solar in Europe. The linchpin of this implementation project, he knows the terrain well. Between 2012 and 2022, he was the deputy – socialist then La République en marche – for the 4th constituency of Doubs, that of Pierre Moscovici, the current president of the Court of Auditors, for whom he was the deputy. Converted into consulting, it was he who suggested to the Chinese group to choose France, while proposals had been made to him in Spain and Germany.
“France had the best file, notably with buildings already built, of the right size and available. The discussions with the authorities were also constructive, as everyone put their cards on the table. DAS Solar wanted to move quickly and the Élysée was ready to give the green light, provided in particular that there was technology transfer. says Frédéric Barbier.
His first videoconferences with the Chinese group date back to early 2023, before he goes there in January 2024. In the spring, the leaders of DAS Solar came to France and were received at the Élysée by advisors to the president of the Republic as well as the Ministry of the Economy.
Europe will tighten its regulations
The commitment of the major energy companies (EDF, Engie and TotalEnergies) to obtain supplies from DAS Solar would also have been decisive, assures the former MP. The company is, in any case, in a big hurry to produce in France, because from next year the new European regulation, Net-Zero Industry Act (NZIA), adopted at the start of 2024, will come into force, which aims to repatriate the continent the production of low carbon technologies.
The objective is for Europe to manufacture 40% of its panels in 2030. ” THEMember States will be able to grant indirect aid and introduce new criteria in calls for tenders »recalls Daniel Bour, president of Enerplan, the union of solar professionals. The prospect of customs surcharges which could be decided by the Commission is also pushing Chinese companies to accelerate their plans to set up in Europe.
Hope for local employment
“This arrival is a fair return of things. Fifty years ago, Peugeot moved to Canton to bring its technology. Today, the Chinese are bringing us their skills in solar panels to avoid having to pay surcharges,” underlines Charles Demouge, the president of the Pays-de-Montbéliard urban community, who indicates that the automobile manufacturer which became PSA, then Stellantis, now employs less than 5,000 people in the area, compared to just over 40,000 in 1975. .
The unemployment rate is still around 9%, “but the industrial know-how remains, there is a lot of land and we have a very qualified workforce”, he adds. Charles Demouge has had a series of meetings at the prefecture in recent weeks. France Travail is already on deck for hiring and a training inventory is being carried out, in conjunction with the employers’ federation UIMM.
Build an entire sector on site
DAS Solar sees far. The company explains that it does not just want to assemble panels, but quickly develop “a complete photovoltaic sector”, including cell manufacturing and silicon production. All with the installation of Chinese subcontractors. In Mandeure, two companies specializing in cables and connectors are already planned, next to the panel factory.
In total, the whole would represent 1.1 billion euros of investment, with 2,500 people. «Each Chinese company will create a French subsidiary, into which French partners will be able to enter. At the request of the public authorities, they also agreed to sell their production to companies other than DAS Solar,” affirms Frédéric Barbier, who says he is open to discussions with Bpifrance, the Caisse des Dépôts or the Participation Agency.
Discussions with Voltec Solar
Here again, the objective is to move quickly, even if the contours still remain vague on the intertwining of shareholdings and the distribution of governance. “Everything is being negotiated,” assures Frédéric Barbier. Surprises are always possible.
According to our information, DAS Solar is holding discussions with Alsatian Voltec Solar, one of the last French panel manufacturers, which is already buying cells from the Chinese group. But nothing filters through. The two groups signed a confidentiality agreement.
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China’s near-monopoly on photovoltaics
China produces 80% of the world’s solar panels and the top ten global manufacturers are Chinese, according to the Wood Mackenzie firm.
His progress in this sector is dizzying. Twenty years ago, China’s market share was only 6%. Since then, the country has continued to increase its capacities and gradually eliminate competition. Prices have fallen (divided by ten in ten years), and the phenomenon is accelerating.
China tripled its production in 2022, then doubled it again in 2023. To the point that the supply of panels would now exceed demand.
