Panasonic Corp. announced on April 28 that it will exit its solar photovoltaic (PV) and battery energy storage businesses in North America, according to a letter addressed to installation partners and signed by Naoki Kamo, president of Panasonic Ecosystem Solutions Company of North America. The full text, shared by an installer on Reddit and partially published on the company’s website, confirms Panasonic’s commitment to honor all warranty obligations—including for partially installed systems—and provide customers with clear guidance on third-party warranty coverage. Support channels via the company’s website and a dedicated email address will remain operational.
Panasonic’s solar manufacturing legacy dates back to the 1980s, with a pivotal 2009 acquisition of Sanyo Electric, a pioneer in heterojunction (HJT) solar cell technology. The company later commercialized HJT modules globally, launching localized production at its Buffalo, New York, factory in the 2010s and expanding module manufacturing to Japan and Malaysia. However, accelerating technological shifts and high production costs eroded its competitive edge. By 2022, Panasonic ceased in-house module production, outsourcing manufacturing to third-party partners.
Mukesh Sethi, former director of Panasonic’s solar business, publicly attributed the exit to “industry upheaval,” noting that rapid adoption of larger-format cell technologies required “multi-billion-dollar investments in production upgrades,” while plunging module prices squeezed margins. “Staying competitive demanded capital expenditures beyond our financial risk appetite,” Sethi stated.
Despite exiting residential solar and storage, Panasonic reaffirmed its commitment to electric vehicle (EV) battery manufacturing. A $4 billion EV battery plant in Kansas, announced in 2022, remains on track for completion by mid-2025. The company will also continue investing in alternative clean technologies, including heat pumps, as part of its broader energy transition strategy.
