ICARES CONSULTING

Their core work

ICARES Consulting (operating as Becquerel Institute) is a Belgian SME specializing in photovoltaic energy consulting, policy analysis, and technology assessment. They provide expertise across the full PV value chain — from module-level technology (crystalline silicon, CIGS, perovskites) to grid integration, building-integrated PV (BIPV), and prosumer energy models. Their work bridges technical PV research with market strategy, policy implementation (notably the EU SET Plan for photovoltaics), and data infrastructure for PV materials and devices.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

In their earlier H2020 projects (2017-2019), ICARES focused on established PV technologies — crystalline silicon modules, CIGS thin-film, power electronics, and practical deployment challenges like BIPV cost reduction and nZEB compliance. From 2019 onward, their work shifted toward systemic and forward-looking topics: PV policy strategy (SET Plan implementation), large-scale grid integration (SERENDI-PV), and next-generation perovskite PV research infrastructure (VIPERLAB). This trajectory shows a move from component-level engineering toward policy influence and emerging PV technologies.

ICARES is moving upstream from PV hardware consulting toward policy advisory and next-generation perovskite PV, positioning themselves at the intersection of technology roadmapping and research infrastructure.

How they like to work

ICARES has exclusively participated as a partner, never coordinating any of their six H2020 projects. With 92 unique consortium partners across 17 countries, they operate as a well-connected specialist contributor embedded in large European PV consortia. Their consistent role as participant rather than coordinator suggests they bring focused consulting expertise that complements larger research teams, making them a reliable and low-friction partner to integrate into new proposals.

ICARES has built a broad European network of 92 unique partners across 17 countries through six projects, giving them strong connectivity across the EU PV research and industry landscape. Their network spans universities, research institutes, and industrial players in the photovoltaics sector.

What sets them apart

As a Belgian PV-specialized consultancy, ICARES (Becquerel Institute) occupies a niche between pure research labs and large industrial PV manufacturers. They combine hands-on technical knowledge of multiple PV technologies (c-Si, CIGS, perovskites, BIPV) with policy-level understanding of the EU SET Plan — a rare combination for an SME. For consortium builders, they offer a partner who can credibly contribute to both the technical work packages and the policy/market analysis tasks that reviewers expect in energy proposals.

Highlights from their portfolio

• SERENDI-PV
  Their largest single project (EUR 507,938), focused on dispatchable PV grid integration — a critical challenge for high-renewables energy systems.
• VIPERLAB
  Marks their entry into perovskite PV and research infrastructure, signaling a strategic pivot toward next-generation photovoltaic technologies.
• BIPVBOOST
  Their second-largest project (EUR 263,592) targeting BIPV cost reduction for near-zero energy buildings — directly linking PV technology to the construction sector.