A French startup that plans to develop a 5 GW TOPCon solar cells and modules manufacturing facility has selected Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE (Fraunhofer ISE) of Germany to help build cost-effective and efficient panels Made in Europe.
Fraunhofer ISE will assist the startup with technology selection and factory planning in the conceptual design and construction phase.
"The Fraunhofer ISE team has expertise in N-type TOPCon technology that is unique in Europe, as it was involved in its invention. From the very beginning, the Fraunhofer ISE team was very committed and motivated to help us to build the most cost-effective and highest-quality gigawatt-scale PV fabrication in Europe," said HoloSolis President and CEO Jan Jacob Boom-Wichers.
Focus will also be on sustainability with low-carbon production, high product recyclability and high social standards for the factory.
By 2025, the target is to roll out 10 million solar panels annually for private and commercial PV markets.
Founded by a consortium of EIT InnoEnergy, IDEC Group and TSE, HoloSolis had announced the 5 GW solar module gigafactory in France's Sarreguemines region with TOPCon technology, with plans to venture into silicon and perovskite tandem (see Another French Solar Gigafactory).
The European Union aims to have 30 GW of annual solar PV manufacturing capacity online by 2025. While there have been some GW-scale manufacturing announcements in response, there have also been some disappointing developments.
SunPower Corporation's manufacturing spin-off Maxeon Solar Technologies shut down its fab in France's Porcelette which was selected for the EU Innovation Fund in 2022 (see Maxeon Solar's French Production Line Discontinued).
Very recently, Norway-based solar ingot and wafer producer Norwegian Crystals filed for bankruptcy in the face of a financial crunch, despite having secured a strategic investment from HoloSolis consortium partner EIT InnoEnergy (see Norwegian Crystals Files For Bankruptcy).