EPIA SOLARPOWER EUROPE

Their core work

SolarPower Europe is the leading European solar photovoltaic industry association, representing over 300 member companies across the solar value chain. In H2020 projects, they contribute policy expertise, market intelligence, and industry coordination to improve the bankability and financing of solar PV investments. They bridge the gap between the solar industry, financial institutions, and policymakers — helping translate technical advances into commercially viable deployment models. Their work focuses on removing market barriers, enabling citizen participation in solar energy, and ensuring grid-friendly integration of PV plants.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

From 2015 to 2018, SolarPower Europe focused squarely on the financial side of solar: how to make PV investments bankable, how to unlock crowdfunding, and how to improve public acceptance of renewable energy projects. By 2020, their focus shifted toward the technical and operational dimensions — digital twins, predictive maintenance, grid hosting capacity, and sustainable materials (backsheets). This evolution mirrors the broader solar industry's maturation from "how do we finance solar?" to "how do we operate and integrate massive solar fleets reliably?"

SolarPower Europe is moving from financial advocacy toward technical reliability and smart grid integration — expect future projects at the intersection of digital tools and large-scale PV deployment.

How they like to work

SolarPower Europe participates exclusively as a partner, never as coordinator — consistent with their role as an industry association that brings market knowledge and dissemination capacity rather than leading technical research. With 53 unique partners across 14 countries in just 4 projects, they operate in large, diverse consortia. This makes them a broad network hub: partnering with them gives access to the European solar industry's main representative body and its extensive member network.

With 53 unique consortium partners spread across 14 countries from just 4 projects, SolarPower Europe maintains an exceptionally wide network relative to their project count. Based in Brussels and representing a pan-European membership, their partnerships span the continent's key solar markets.

What sets them apart

SolarPower Europe is not a research lab or a technology company — they are the voice of the European solar industry with direct access to hundreds of companies, policymakers, and national solar associations. For consortium builders, this means unmatched dissemination reach and industry validation: if SolarPower Europe endorses your technology, the market pays attention. Their dual expertise in solar finance (early projects) and solar operations (recent projects) makes them a rare partner who understands both the investment case and the technical reality.

Highlights from their portfolio

• TRUST-PV
  Their largest funded project (EUR 359,500) and a clear pivot toward digital tools (digital twins, decision support) for PV plant reliability — running until 2024.
• CrowdFundRES
  Directly addressed citizen participation and crowdfunding for renewables — a politically significant topic that showcases their ability to bridge industry and public engagement.
• Solar Bankability
  Focused on improving the financial attractiveness of PV investments — core to their identity as the industry association working to de-risk solar deployment.