RECLAIM-PV

The EU has set ambitious targets under NZIA to scale domestic clean-tech manufacturing, aiming to meet 40% of annual deployment needs by 2030 and reach 15% of global production capacity by 2040. Solar photovoltaics (PV) is identified as a priority technology, yet Europe’s current PV module output remains far below demand, covering only ~15% of EU needs and less than 2% globally, leaving the Union heavily dependent on imports, particularly from China. Addressing this strategic gap is essential to restore industrial sovereignty and secure a resilient, sustainable value chain for solar energy. RECLAIM-PV responds by advancing the industrialisation roadmap of Solarface®, a European IP-protected lightweight composite PV encapsulation technology developed by TECNALIA and BRANKA, now manufactured and commercialised by IZPITEK. Building on previous and ongoing EU-funded projects, the technology leverages composite materials to deliver lightweight, high-performance, and cost-competitive PV modules tailored to both mass-market rooftop/balcony applications (BAPV) and integrated markets (BIPV, VIPV, IIPV, AgriPV), while concurrently progressing towards a more sustainable and circular technology. The project will significantly improve the product quality and competitiveness of Solarface technology by overcoming key bottlenecks, leveraging the development of flexible interconnection and customised prepreg equipment, optimised manufacturing processes and the use of generative AI to support production optimisation. As a consequence, RECLAIM-PV will demonstrate an increased capacity in the manufacturing of lightweight PV modules in EU through an increase in the operating factor (ratio between the production and production capacity) of Izpitek and the manufacturing of BIPV and VIPV products by several industrial use cases selected to showcase the adoption and replication potential of Solarface to unleash its true potential in the development of IPV products in various sectors.