Perovion aims for roll-to-roll factory for flexible solar cells

A new Dutch solar technology company wants to bring a different kind of solar panel to the market: lightweight, flexible, and produced at an industrial scale using a process similar to newspaper printing. With the launch of Perovion Technologies, TNO is spinning out more than ten years of research into perovskite solar cells and taking the next step toward large-scale manufacturing in Europe.

With the official launch of Perovion Technologies, TNO is transferring a key piece of solar innovation from the lab to the market. The spin-off focuses on perovskite solar cells, an emerging technology that promises lighter, cheaper and more versatile solar solutions than conventional silicon panels.

Unlike traditional solar modules, which are typically made of glass and silicon, perovskite cells can be produced on thin, flexible foils. This allows them to be integrated into surfaces where standard panels are too heavy or too rigid, such as lightweight roofs, façades, vehicles or even historic buildings.

According to Perovion CEO Stefan van de Beek, the technology being commercialized today has deep roots in the Eindhoven ecosystem. “We’re not starting from scratch,” he says. “The technology has been developed over roughly ten years within TNO and Solliance. What we are doing now is taking that work and turning it into an industrial blueprint.”

At the heart of the innovation is a manufacturing method known as roll-to-roll production, comparable to how newspapers are printed. Solar cells are produced continuously on long rolls of flexible material, enabling faster and potentially much cheaper production than conventional solar panel manufacturing.

Stefan van de Beek, Perovion Technologies

Eindhoven as the starting point

The technology originates from the pilot production line at the High Tech Campus in Eindhoven, where TNO and the Solliance research program have been developing the process. “There is already a pilot line at the High Tech Campus where these perovskite solar cells can be produced,” Van de Beek explains. “That’s the part we are spinning out and industrializing.”

The aim is to eventually build the world’s first roll-to-roll factory for perovskite solar cells in the Netherlands, with construction expected to be completed around 2030. That future factory would focus specifically on producing the solar cells themselves. Other companies would integrate the cells into finished products and modules. “What we produce are the solar cells,” Van de Beek says. “The backend - the encapsulation and integration into modules - is done by our customers.”

Solar power where panels don’t work

Because the cells are flexible and lightweight, the technology opens up entirely new applications for solar energy. Van de Beek points to rooftops where conventional panels are too heavy to install. “With these foils, you can simply stick them onto a flat roof,” he explains. “You don’t need heavy ballast or mounting structures. With traditional panels, that’s often impossible because they’re too heavy.”

The potential applications are broad. Flexible solar cells could be integrated into building materials such as roof tiles, or into surfaces that currently remain unused for solar generation. “Anything that can be combined with flexible cells could potentially become a solar surface,” Van de Beek says.

Funding the next step

For now, the newly launched company is starting with a small team and a clear mission: proving that the technology can scale from laboratory success to industrial production. Perovion is currently seeking investors to finance its next phase. “We are now raising funding to work for about eighteen months on developing the industrial blueprint,” Van de Beek explains. “In that period, we want to demonstrate that what TNO has developed can be produced on a large scale.”

That first phase will prepare the ground for a much larger investment round aimed at building the factory itself. “That larger round will be in the order of about €25 million,” he says. The initial financing round is significantly smaller and intended primarily to give the company time to refine its engineering plans and industrial partnerships. “We spin out with a small team, but we take a lot of value with us,” Van de Beek notes. “After all, the technology has already been developed over ten years.”

European solar ambitions

Perovion’s ambitions also align with broader European efforts to rebuild domestic solar manufacturing capacity. Today, the vast majority of solar panels used in Europe are produced in Asia. By enabling roll-to-roll manufacturing of lightweight solar cells, the company hopes to contribute to a new European solar industry built around flexible technologies and new applications.

According to TNO Ventures director Hans Boumans, the spin-off illustrates how applied research can translate into industrial impact. “With Perovion Technologies, we show how research can be converted into concrete innovations,” he said in the launch announcement. “By embedding the technology in an independent company, we are helping build a strong European industry for flexible solar cells.”

For Van de Beek, the coming years will be about turning research success into a viable industrial product. “We’re only just starting as a company,” he says. “But we’re building on a decade of development. Now it’s about proving that we can manufacture this technology at scale, and bringing a new generation of solar energy to the market.”