SOLAR POWER FILMS GMBH

Their core work

Solar Power Films is a German company specializing in thin-film photovoltaic technologies and advanced functional coatings. They develop and integrate manufacturing processes for organic photovoltaics, transparent conductive oxides, and nanostructured coatings for solar panels, automotive parts, and flexible electronics. Their core contribution to EU projects is bringing industrial-scale thin-film deposition and roll-to-roll processing expertise, bridging the gap between laboratory nanomaterials research and production-line manufacturing.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

In their early H2020 participation (2014–2018), Solar Power Films focused on nanomaterial processing for established applications — nanocomposite coatings, electrospray deposition, self-cleaning solar panels, and barrier packaging for automotive and consumer products. From 2018 onward, they pivoted decisively toward organic and flexible electronics: organic photovoltaics, OLED manufacturing, roll-to-roll processing, photolithography, and wearable electronics. This shift represents a move from incremental nano-coating improvements on rigid substrates to next-generation flexible energy and display technologies.

Solar Power Films is moving toward large-area flexible electronics manufacturing, positioning itself as a production partner for organic photovoltaics and wearable energy devices.

How they like to work

Solar Power Films consistently participates as a partner rather than leading consortia, suggesting they contribute specialized manufacturing capabilities rather than driving research agendas. With 47 unique partners across 17 countries from just 4 projects, they operate in large, diverse consortia — averaging nearly 12 partners per project. This pattern indicates they are a sought-after industrial partner whose thin-film processing expertise complements academic and research groups.

Extensive network of 47 unique partners spread across 17 countries, built entirely through participation in large consortia. This broad geographic spread across just 4 projects indicates they are well-connected within the European advanced manufacturing and photovoltaics research community.

What sets them apart

Solar Power Films occupies a specific niche: they are an industrial company that can take nanomaterial and thin-film research from lab scale to production-line integration. Unlike universities that develop materials or large manufacturers that buy finished technology, they sit at the critical scale-up stage — making them valuable for any consortium that needs to demonstrate industrial feasibility. Their growing EC funding per project (from €120K to €445K) suggests increasing trust and responsibility within consortia over time.

Highlights from their portfolio

• OLEDSOLAR
  Largest funding (€458K) and marks the company's strategic pivot into OLED and organic solar cell manufacturing processes with in-line monitoring.
• RoLA-FLEX
  Most recent project combining roll-to-roll processing with laser post-processing for flexible photovoltaics and wearable electronics — represents their current technological frontier.
• OptiNanoPro
  Cross-sector application of nanomaterials across packaging, automotive, and solar — demonstrates their versatility beyond photovoltaics alone.