The EU’s 4th Innovation Round is now complete with 85 net-zero projects selected for €4.8 billion in grant money
One of the winners, Trinasolar has been picked for its 1.5 GW HJT module plant in Spain
FuturaSun has also been selected for its Italian solar PV module factory
The European Commission has selected 85 innovative net-zero projects under its 4th Innovation Fund round for €4.8 billion in grants, including solar PV manufacturing projects representing a combined 3 GW capacity. This round was oversubscribed over 6 times the initial budget.
Among the projects selected is the Chinese manufacturer Trinasolar’s proposed 1.5 GW solar module factory in Spain. A company subsidiary, Trina Solar (Luxembourg) Holdings has proposed to invest in heterojunction (HJT) technology for the Spanish fab while the parent group is currently focused on TOPCon cell technology.
The project is dubbed MOD4PV Gigawatt Scale Assembly Plant of Disruptive Technology PV Modules.
Italian solar PV manufacturer FuturaSun is the other company selected for its FENICE (Futurasun advanced italiaN manufacturing Centre) manufacturing project in Italy.
While the EU has not specified the capacity in absolute terms, FuturaSun had earlier announced plans to develop a 1 GW solar module fab in Italy using interdigitated back contact (IBC) technology with ISC Konstanz support. In March 2023, it revealed a 2 GW factory in Cittadella, Italy (see Italian Manufacturer Announces 2 GW Module Fab In Italy).
Along with the above 2 large-scale projects invited for grant preparation, the commission has also selected Tertre Innovation Solaire for its floating solar demonstrator project in Belgium in the small-scale category.
An agrivoltaics demonstration plant of Proyectos Renovables Innovadores SA on the Orellana Canal in Spain, dubbed PVORELLANA, is another selection in the small-scale category.
In addition, Canada’s Boralex is another pick for its SOVALIS or SOlar farm and Vanadium Lithium Storage under the medium-scale project category. The company plans to establish a hybrid energy storage system (ESS) combining lithium-ion and vanadium redox flow batteries in France, directly linked to a large-scale solar PV farm.
Selected electrolyzer projects in this round will create 9.3 GW of electrolyzer manufacturing capacity.
The EU received 337 proposals for this round launched in November 2023 with €4 billion budget, out of which 283 were declared admissible and eligible (see €4 Billion Budget For EU’s 4th Innovation Fund Call). The final list of 85 names has been invited for grant agreement preparation and to sign grant agreements with the European Climate, Infrastructure and Environmental Executive Agency (CINEA) in Q1 2025.
A full list of the projects selected in the latest Innovation Fund round is available on the commission’s website.
The winning projects are expected to become operational before 2030 and help reduce emissions by about 476 million tons of carbon dioxide equivalent.
Solar PV manufacturing projects that were adjudged the winners of the previous Innovation Fund rounds include Enel Green Power’s 3 GW HJT factory in Italy, REC Group’s 2 GW HJT fab in France that has now been put on hold, Meyer Burger’s HJT solar cell and module plant in Europe, NorSun’s ingot and wafer manufacturing plant, and Midsummer’s 200 MW CIGS production plant in Sweden.
According to the commission, existing Innovation Fund projects will create 6.8 GW of solar PV manufacturing capacity in the EU.
The commission now targets to launch the 5th Innovation Fund auction and calls on December 3, 2024.
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