The Next2Sun Group continues to grow: foundation of Next2Sun AG and integration of Elektrotechnik Leitinger GmbH
The Next2Sun Group continues to grow. Both nationally and internationally, there were many positive developments in the agrivoltaics segment (AgriPV), the Next2Sun Group’s main area of activity, in 2021. In Germany, under the leadership of the Fraunhofer Institute (ISE), a DIN specification for Agri-PV was published, which describes the requirements of agricultural use and in which Next2Sun also participated. On this basis, an innovation tender for agrivoltaics and floating PV with a total volume of 150 MW is planned for 2022 in Germany. Italy has announced its intention to invest up to €1 billion to realize 2 gigawatts of Agri-PV and has also announced shorter approval processes for Agri-PV. Austria has passed a new Renewable Energies Expansion Act (EAG), which provides special funding for agrivoltaics, and other countries such as France, Israel and Japan are also focusing heavily on the expansion of agrivoltaics. The Next2Sun Group is therefore accelerating its growth course and investing in its partner network and the further expansion of the company.
To achieve this growth, Next2Sun AG was founded at the end of 2021 and is aiming for a stock market listing in the near future. Next2Sun AG not only forms a new holding company for the previous business units, but the previous development and system partner Elektrotechnik Leitinger GmbH (ETL) from Austria was also integrated at the same time. Elektrotechnik Leitinger GmbH is the successful market leader with the Next2Sun vertical bifacial solar fence in the strategically important Austrian market and will also serve the AgriPV segment there in future as Next2Sun Austria GmbH. This means that duplicate structures can be avoided in the geographically closely linked Austrian and German markets and the strengths of the two long-standing partners in the AgriPV and solar fence segments can be bundled. The previous shareholders of Elektrotechnik Leitinger GmbH have joined the group of shareholders of Next2Sun AG, the previous ETL CEO Bernhard Stöckl will continue to co-manage Next2Sun Austria GmbH and has also been appointed to the management board of Next2Sun Mounting Systems GmbH.
The Next2Sun Group is also on course for growth in terms of its locations: significant parts of Next2Sun GmbH (now: Next2Sun Technology GmbH) and Next2Sun Mounting Systems GmbH have been consolidated at the new central location in Dillingen/Saar, which includes new office space and a directly connected logistics location. Next2Sun Austria GmbH will also be moving into new premises in Saalfelden at the beginning of 2022 and will serve not only Austria but also parts of southern Germany from its logistics location there.
