Demand in Germany and the United States, among the world's biggest solar markets, has failed to improve strongly so far this quarter, SolarWorld's chief executive said.

Frank Asbeck told Reuters on Friday that he expects demand to pick up in the last three months of the year.

Business in the U.S. and Germany was very muted in July and August, he said, after Germany's No.2 solar company by sales announced it would shut production at one of its U.S. plants.

Asbeck said the closure of SolarWorld's plant in Camarillo, California, would affect 170 employees. The company has about 3,500 workers around the world.

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