ONYX SOLAR ENERGY SL

Their core work

Onyx Solar is a Spanish SME that manufactures building-integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) glass products — solar panels designed to replace conventional building materials like windows, facades, and canopies. Their core business is turning building envelopes into energy-generating surfaces without sacrificing aesthetics or structural function. Across 13 H2020 projects, they contribute BIPV product expertise, transparent solar window technology, and real-world deployment experience to large-scale demonstration and innovation consortia focused on near-zero and positive energy buildings.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

In their early H2020 period (2015–2018), Onyx focused squarely on BIPV product development and market deployment — improving the glass itself, self-cleaning coatings, and driving NZEB renovation uptake. From 2019 onward, the focus shifted decisively toward district-scale energy transformation: positive energy buildings, urban decarbonisation, cultural heritage integration, and grid flexibility. Most recently (2021+), digital tools like digital twins and building envelope industrialization have entered their project portfolio, signaling expansion beyond hardware into data-driven building energy solutions.

Onyx is moving from component manufacturer to integrated solution provider for district-scale energy-positive urban environments, increasingly incorporating digital tools alongside their physical BIPV products.

How they like to work

Onyx overwhelmingly operates as a participant (12 of 13 projects), bringing their BIPV products and expertise into large consortia rather than leading them. With 272 unique partners across 27 countries, they are a highly networked industry player embedded in Europe's building energy research ecosystem. Their single coordinator role (ADVANCED-BIPV, an SME-2 project) shows they can lead when the topic is squarely their core product, but they clearly prefer the specialist contributor model in larger Innovation Actions.

Onyx has collaborated with 272 unique partners across 27 countries, making them one of the best-connected BIPV companies in the H2020 ecosystem. Their network spans nearly all EU member states, with particularly strong ties to building energy and smart city consortia.

What sets them apart

Onyx Solar is one of very few companies globally that manufactures photovoltaic glass specifically designed as a building material — not an add-on panel but an architectural element. This makes them an irreplaceable partner in any consortium that needs real BIPV products tested and deployed in buildings. Their 13-project track record and 272-partner network mean they bring not just technology but deep connections across Europe's building energy value chain.

Highlights from their portfolio

• ADVANCED-BIPV
  Their only coordinator role and largest single funding (EUR 1.89M) — an SME instrument project to develop next-generation BIPV glass with advanced integration properties.
• BIPVBOOST
  Their second-largest funding (EUR 832K) in a major Innovation Action specifically targeting BIPV cost reduction across the entire value chain.
• POCITYF
  Marks their transition into city-scale positive energy transformation, applying BIPV within a flagship smart city project involving cultural heritage buildings.