Top Investments of the Year 2024 in Saxony
Saxony excels as an attractive location for cleantech companies
Mar 05, 2025
The ever-growing global demand for environmental and climate protection technologies provides a substantial impulse for one of the traditional industries in the Free State of Saxony. Saxon companies, research facilities and networks are working together in a very special ecosystem, developing smart solutions and innovative technologies, e.g., in the fields of energy, resource and material efficiency, energy distribution, and the circular economy. Due to the diversified know-how and the dynamic environment, the sector is becoming more important for investment and location decisions. The latest settlements have strengthened Saxony’s position as an attractive cleantech location. Saxony Trade & Invest Corp. (STI) supported these projects as an experienced partner, developing its own expert knowledge of the industry at the same time.
Heat pump manufacturer from Austria moves to Lusatia
Germany is a growth market for heat pumps, boosted by a new settlement in Saxony. iDM Energiesysteme GmbH from Austria, the largest Austrian manufacturer of heat pumps for heating by their own account, decided to invest in the Straßgräbchen business park in Lusatia. They are planning to build a new heat pump factory on a surface of approx. 50 acres, doubling their production capacity. The company is going to invest EUR 50 million in the first construction phase, and create 500 new jobs in the future. They chose the town of Bernsdorf because they saw “promising prospects, development opportunities and innovative power here, in the heart of Europe,” Manfred Pletzer, owner of the Pletzer Group that iDM is a part of, says in the daily newspaper “Lausitzer Rundschau”.
And the company is not alone in their decision. TD Deutsche Klimakompressor GmbH – a joint venture of the Japanese automobile suppliers Toyota Industries Corporation and Denso Corporation – recently opened a production line for electric compressors nearby, and is currently investing EUR 90 million in the expansion of the facility. Both the company and the Saxon district of Bautzen are setting new benchmarks in terms of approval times with this project: It took all of eight weeks for the building permit to be finalized and provided to the company—proof of the great conditions for business settlements in the Free State of Saxony.
Lusatia is changing and planning to become Europe’s first “Net Zero Valley”
This settlement in Lusatia shows that the region is an attractive location for next-generation technologies. It is turning into a showcase for the energy transition, both in the field of development of energy storage technologies and in the production of battery components for electromobility applications. Lusatia is currently endeavoring to become Europe’s first “Net Zero Valley”. The region offers the best possible conditions: EUR 37 billion in investments in structural transformation and cleantech make Lusatia a model region for a “green” transformation already today, making it the perfect place for other companies to settle. The necessary spaces are available, as are attractive subsidies. Investors are supported by the interregional team of the Lusatia Investor Center, which is run by the Economic Development Agency Brandenburg (WFBB) and Saxony Trade & Invest (STI).
ROSI Solar supports Saxony’s vision of a circular economy
The French company ROSI (Return of Silicon) also chose Saxony, more specifically the district of North Saxony. The company from Grenoble is investing approx. EUR 26 million in Elsnig, a town north of Torgau, and plans to create 70 new jobs. ROSI developed an industrial solution that enables full recovery of all the materials used in disused solar panels. Yun Luo, founder and CEO of ROSI, on their involvement: “We highly appreciate Saxony’s vision in this area, and we see this as another important contribution to the long and successful history of the semiconductor and photovoltaics industry.” ROSI Solar completes the well-established photovoltaics value chain in Saxony, providing a recovery and recycling process that closes the gap by facilitating reintegration in the value chain.
OPES Solar benefits from the proximity of research facilities
Opes Solar Mobility GmbH chose Zwenkau, a town south of Leipzig, to build their new production facility. The factory will produce special solar technology for trucks, mobile homes, and buses. The solar panels they developed together with the Fraunhofer Center for Silicon Photovoltaics (CSP) and the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems (ISE) will be installed on a large scale, helping to reduce costs and increase the vehicles’ range. Hundreds of thousands of vehicles can be equipped with the panels from the factory every year. The company will create some 120 new jobs at their new location. Robert Händel, CEO of OPES Solar Mobility, says: “Solar panels for vehicles are specially developed, particularly light and robust, and we are optimizing them by way of continuous research and development. Therefore, the proximity of Fraunhofer CSP in Halle and Leipzig University is invaluable.” Other reasons include the advantageous geographical location and traffic connection of the location and the proximity of the company’s European clients.
Start-up from Freiberg uses greenhouse gas as a resource
The start-up enaDyne GmbH, which was founded in Freiberg in 2022, developed an innovative procedure for non-thermal plasma catalysis. It allows for carbon dioxide to be converted into methanol, ethylene and other hydrocarbon compounds with little energy input.
So for, these basic materials are almost exclusively produced from fossil resources. This way, a greenhouse gas that is detrimental to the climate becomes a resource for the production of chemicals and fuels. In an article published in the newspaper “Freie Presse”, Christian Koch, one of the company’s managing directors, emphasizes the “excellent conditions” at Freiberg University of Mining and Technology. Furthermore, he says that they are working on the development of catalysts and the construction of prototypes together with partners in Leipzig. At the end of last year, the company was honored as one of the leading innovators in the field of carbon capture and utilization at the World Economic Forum in Riyadh.
Saxony offers ideal conditions for development and numerous opportunities for profitable cooperation with a dynamic future-oriented industry, both for businesses and investors. Saxony Trade & Invest offers support and assistance in bringing potential partners together with the right players. Please do not hesitate to contact us!
Contact:
Saxony Trade & Invest Corp.
Phone: +49 (351) 2138-0
info@wfs.saxony.de
https://business-saxony.com/en/
https://business-saxony.com/en/focus-on-future-technologies/sustainable-use-of-energy-and-resources
