California-based Nextpower has agreed to buy Germany’s Zimmermann PV-Steel Group, a move that broadens its steel-intensive solar structures portfolio in Europe and strengthens its position in utility-scale solar support systems.
The acquisition centres on the fabrication of steel structural solar products rather than power electronics alone. Nextpower says the deal adds four product lines, extends its reach into 15 more countries and brings in a business with more than 20GW deployed, Kallanish learns from Nextpower’s statement.
Zimmermann, founded in 1950, supplies PV (photovoltaic) substructures engineering to support solar panels. The company has delivered more than 2,500 projects across 58 countries.
For steel markets, the significance lies in the expansion of fabricated mounting and support systems used in large solar plants. Nextpower chief executive Dan Shugar notes that the acquisition will “significantly expand our product platform” and add supply chain capability in Europe.
“Zimmermann’s structural solutions, including fixed tilt, carports, high-density trackers, innovative agriPV solutions, and floating PV will expand our European portfolio,” Shugar adds. The company says fixed tilt accounts for about half of Europe’s utility PV market, particularly in Germany, France and Poland. Combined with the recent launch of its NX Gemini tracker, the acquisition is expected to more than double Nextpower’s addressable solar opportunity in Europe.
The transaction is valued at up to €330 million ($377m) in cash and stock. It is expected to close in the second half of fiscal 2027, subject to regulatory clearance.
The Zimmermann deal follows several moves that underline Nextpower’s growing exposure to steel consumption in solar manufacturing.
In February 2026, Nextpower said it had secured a multi-year deal to supply more than 1GW of US-made steel module frames to Jinko Solar US Industries for its Jacksonville, Florida, plant, scalable to 3GW over three years. In December 2025, Nextpower opened an expanded hub in Nashville, Tennessee, and said partner MSS Steel Tubes USA in Memphis would double fabrication capacity for solar tracker systems. That expansion was especially important for steel because it tied regional solar growth directly to new domestic processing capacity, jobs and localised supply for utility-scale projects.
In the US Southeast alone, solar capacity reached nearly 28GW at the end of 2024 and is forecast to climb to 54GW by 2030, according to figures cited from the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy in Nextpower’s December press release. Growth is not confined to that region, however, and utility-scale build-outs across the US continue to support demand for fabricated steel components.
Utility-scale solar relies heavily on fabricated steel in trackers, frames, posts and related balance-of-plant structures. Based on wide estimates from a solar engineer in California, each 5GW of solar capacity can consume roughly 150,000-700,000 tonnes of steel depending on design, location, climate and weight of solar panels.
 
Author: Zulma Herrera

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