Fraunhofer ISE and HoloSolis Collaborate to Build New PV Production Facility

Image of a new production line for solar cells.

The back-end production laboratory of Fraunhofer ISE’s Photovoltaic Technology Evaluation Center, PV-TEC. In this R&D laboratory production processes for crystalline silicon solar cells are developed and optimized. Courtesy of Fraunhofer ISE / Dirk Mahler.

HoloSolis SAS plans to build a production line for both Photovoltaic (PV) solar cells and modules. The company aims to start production in 2025 and, at full capacity, will produce five gigawatts per year. Based on a strategic collaboration agreement signed this summer, the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems (ISE) will support HoloSolis in the technology selection and factory planning during the conceptual design and construction phases.

"HoloSolis' approach of building a PV production line from solar cells to PV modules while further developing the technology convinced us from the beginning,” said Dr. Jochen Rentsch, head of Technology Transfer division of Photovoltaics, Fraunhofer ISE. "We are very happy to be able to accompany the young company on its way to become a major European-based producer of PV components."

The objective of the collaboration is to build cost-effective and efficient PV modules in Europe, based on TOPCon solar cells. Production is expected to ramp up to produce 10 million photovoltaic modules annually, mainly aimed at the residential and commercial PV market. Sustainability in terms of low-carbon production, high recyclability of products, and high social standards are an integral part of the factory concept. In addition to the construction, HoloSolis and Fraunhofer ISE will closely cooperate in research and innovation for sustainable solar cell and module production.

“We are very thankful to be working with Fraunhofer ISE to help design our factory”, said Jan Jacob Boom-Wichers, CEO and president, HoloSolis. “The Fraunhofer ISE team has unparalleled expertise in Europe in N-type TOPCon technology because they participated in its invention. The Fraunhofer ISE team has been very committed and motivated from the onset of the project to help us build the most cost effective and highest quality PV gigafactory in Europe.”

"This project will contribute substantially to the annual capacity goal of 30 gigawatts by 2025 that the European Solar PV Industry Alliance ESIA has set itself," said Dr. Ralf Preu, director Photovoltaics, Fraunhofer ISE. "The reestablishment of sustainable PV production in the EU is one of our strategic priorities. An integrated high-volume module production is a crucial step on this road and contributes towards the European Union’s energy sovereignty."

To learn more, visit www.ise.fraunhofer.de and www.holosolis.com.