French solar PV manufacturing startup HoloSolis, a consortium launched in May 2023, has found yet another investor, in the German silver metallization pastes producer Heraeus Group. The latter is taking an undisclosed stake in the company that's been set up to establish a 5 GW TOPCon solar cells and modules fab in France.
Other investors in HoloSolis are European Commission's EIT InnoEnergy, France's IDEC Group and solar energy producer TSE.
Heraeus is a leading supplier of silver metallization pastes that are applied on the front of a solar cell to conduct electrons. It produces these through Heraeus Photovoltaics. As an investor in HoloSolis, it will supply the same to the module manufacturer.
"We will also play an active role on the board of directors, providing advice, experience, and expertise," explained Heraeus' Christian Neumann. "We are proud to contribute to this strategic investment and strengthen our position in a market that is crucial for CO2 reduction."
HoloSolis aims to roll out 10 million TOPCon PV panels/year, corresponding to 8% of Europe's total solar module imports in 2022, from its Moselle located fab in France's Sarreguemines region. Germany's Fraunhofer ISE is working with HoloSolis on the development of the fab (see German Solar Institute's Support For HoloSolis).