European Commission launches PV innovation partnership with up to €480 million investment

Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Reddit
Email
Under this European partnership for innovation in PV, the European Commission and private partners aim to invest up to €240 million each. Credit: Glyn Lowe via Flickr.

The European Commission (EC) has launched a series of partnerships with the private sector, including one on PV innovation, to boost Europe’s technological and sustainability goals.

All three partnerships are established under Horizon Europe, a funding programme for research and innovation which aims to tackle climate change with a total budget of €93.5 billion.

This article requires Premium SubscriptionBasic (FREE) Subscription

Try Premium for just $1

  • Full premium access for the first month at only $1
  • Converts to an annual rate after 30 days unless cancelled
  • Cancel anytime during the trial period

Premium Benefits

  • Expert industry analysis and interviews
  • Digital access to PV Tech Power journal
  • Exclusive event discounts

Or get the full Premium subscription right away

Or continue reading this article for free

Dubbed the ‘European Partnership for Innovation in Photovoltaics’, this partnership between the EC and private partners aims to strengthen the region’s position in the PV industry as outlined in several pieces of legislation from the EU, such as the European Green Deal and REPowerEU.

Under this partnership, the EC aims to scale up the European solar manufacturing capacity, develop a more resilient value chain in the EU – as China accounts for more than 90% of the upstream value chain – and reduce its dependence on fossil fuels through collaborations across the entire PV value chain.

The EC, along with the private partners, will each aim to invest up to €240 million (US$260 million) until 2030.

Another partnership, for Innovative Advanced Materials, could also be of benefit to the solar industry. This partnership is in line with the ‘Communication on Advanced Materials for Industrial Leadership’ and aims to strengthen technology sovereignty and industrial competitiveness in advanced materials. Solar PV is among the technologies seen as a “priority” for the European Union with a goal to improve the conversion efficiency of solar panels among other technologies.

The EC and private partners aim to invest up to €250 million each by 2030 in this partnership, which will respond to industrial needs and accelerate design, development and industrial uptake of safe and sustainable advanced materials and associated technologies fit for the circular economy.

“Europe’s future depends on its ability to innovate and scale up. By fostering public-private collaboration in emerging and transformative sectors through these new partnerships, we are driving progress in key areas such as advanced materials, solar energy, and textiles,” said Henna Virkkunen, Executive Vice-President for Tech Sovereignty, Security and Democracy.

These partnerships come only weeks after the EC launched its Clean Industrial Deal which aims to deliver €100 billion for clean energy manufacturing in Europe. Among the action points of the Clean Industrial Deal is a provision for “made in Europe” criterion for project procurement that developers can apply for.

It was recently followed by a consultation which seeks feedback on the State aid Framework accompanying the Clean Industrial Deal (CISAF). Part of the Clean Industrial Act, this component aims to accelerate the deployment of new renewable energy capacity.

Comments can be submitted to the EC until 25 April, as it plans to enact the CISAF in June this year.

PV Tech’s publisher Solar Media will host the Renewables Procurement & Revenue Summit on 21-22 May 2025 in London. The event will explore meeting Europe’s energy demand, the role of data centres in the energy transition, the outlook for European power and PPA prices and more. For more information, go to the website.

7 October 2025
San Francisco Bay Area, USA
PV Tech has been running an annual PV CellTech Conference since 2016. PV CellTech USA, on 7-8 October 2025 is our third PV CellTech conference dedicated to the U.S. manufacturing sector. The events in 2023 and 2024 were a sell out success and 2025 will once again gather the key stakeholders from PV manufacturing, equipment/materials, policy-making and strategy, capital equipment investment and all interested downstream channels and third-party entities. The goal is simple: to map out PV manufacturing in the U.S. out to 2030 and beyond.
2 December 2025
Málaga, Spain
Understanding PV module supply to the European market in 2026. PV ModuleTech Europe 2025 is a two-day conference that tackles these challenges directly, with an agenda that addresses all aspects of module supplier selection; product availability, technology offerings, traceability of supply-chain, factory auditing, module testing and reliability, and company bankability.
10 March 2026
Frankfurt, Germany
The conference will gather the key stakeholders from PV manufacturing, equipment/materials, policy-making and strategy, capital equipment investment and all interested downstream channels and third-party entities. The goal is simple: to map out PV manufacturing out to 2030 and beyond.

Read Next

September 16, 2025
Sunotec has launched Sunotec Nordic to spearhead solar and hybrid renewable project development across the Nordic region.
September 16, 2025
Two of the major European solar trade associations, the European Solar Manufacturing Council (ESMC) and SolarPower Europe (SPE), have called for EU policymakers to take measures supporting European solar manufacturing.
September 11, 2025
The PEARL Consortium has developed perovskite solar cells with carbon electrodes with a conversion efficiency of 21.6%.
September 11, 2025
The EBRD has launched a new programme to improve access to green financing and support energy investments such as renewable power projects.
September 11, 2025
US cell manufacturer ES Foundry is proceeding with expansion plans despite a six-month delay due to recent trade and tax credit policy uncertainties.
Premium
September 11, 2025
PV CellTech USA: US cell manufacturer ES Foundry’s CEO Alex Zhu discusses his company's rapid ascent, strategic technology choices and the challenges of operating in a shifting policy environment.

Subscribe to Newsletter

Upcoming Events

Solar Media Events
September 30, 2025
Seattle, USA
Solar Media Events
October 1, 2025
London, UK
Solar Media Events
October 2, 2025
London,UK
Solar Media Events
October 7, 2025
Manila, Philippines
Solar Media Events
October 7, 2025
San Francisco Bay Area, USA