EU awards €10.6m to scale up ‘highly efficient’ solar modules production

Swiss start-up Insolight’s technology is said to have achieved an efficiency of 29% during tests in the pre-production phase

The EU has awarded €10.6 million (£9.6m) in funding to scale up the production of solar modules claimed to be highly efficient.

HIPERION, set up by a 16-member consortium of research organisations and industry partners and co-ordinated by Swiss research and technology firm CSEM, will use the grant to establish a pilot assembly line to bring the solar technology closer to market.

Developed by Swiss start-up Insolight, the technology is said to significantly reduce solar power generation costs by significantly boosting efficiency, as it collects 50% more energy per square meter than traditional products.

When tested under concentrator standard test conditions (CSTC) in the pre-production phase, the solar modules achieved an efficiency of 29%, “well above” the efficiency levels of standard photovoltaic panels, which typically reach 18% to 20%, according to the consortium.

It adds when combining this technology with the back-end manufacturing solutions that will be developed under the HIPERION project, it will give European PV manufacturers an edge over their mainstream competitors, putting them in a position to increase their share of the growing solar market.

Laurent Coulot, CEO of Insolight said: “In addition to developing a pilot assembly line, we will also further demonstrate the performance and reliability of our innovation through qualification tests and several commercial pilot sites across Europe.”

The members of the consortium include several solar project developers that will assess the technology from the perspective of the rooftop and utility markets.

Insolight’s innovative design sharply reduces solar power generation costs  Combining this technology with the back-end manufacturing solutions that will be developed under the HIPERION project will give European PV manufacturers an edge over their mainstream competitors, putting them in a position to increase their share of the growing PV market.

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