EIT InnoEnergy supports Heliup and participates in its investment round to accelerate its growth

This round is led by Starquest Capital and includes EIT InnoEnergy, BNP Paribas Développement and IDEC Group. The company is also backed by BPI France in the regions, the France 2030 investment plan and several banks to complete the financing.

This injection of funds will enable HELIUP to invest in a production line for lightweight solar panels in France and accelerate its commercial development. The industrial line, with an initial capacity of 500,000 m²/year, i.e. 100 MWp/year, will be operational during 2024 to meet the strong demand for solarisation of roofs currently poorly covered by existing solutions, as the weight of conventional panels is incompatible with the structure of buildings.

HELIUP’s innovative photovoltaic panels are ultra-light, durable and highly efficient, making them ideal for solarizing large roofs on existing commercial, logistics and industrial buildings. Combined with a special integration system, they reduce the weight of the solar power plant by over 60%, with significant savings in installation time and cost.

At the end of the first industrial phase, the innovation developed will avoid more than 500,000 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions and save more than 7,000 tonnes of aluminium, 14,000 tonnes of glass and 30,000 tonnes of steel compared with ground-mounted solar power plants. What’s more, as the solution is deployed on rooftops, it helps preserve 350,000 hectares of land.

The technology is the result of more than three years’ development by CEA-LITEN teams.

This injection of funds will enable HELIUP to invest in a production line for lightweight solar panels in France and accelerate its commercial development. The industrial line, with an initial capacity of 500,000 m²/year, i.e. 100 MWp/year, will be operational during 2024 to meet the strong demand for solarisation of roofs currently poorly covered by existing solutions, as the weight of conventional panels is incompatible with the structure of buildings.

This breakthrough will transform rooftops into clean energy sources, reducing the carbon footprint of buildings and contributing to the fight against climate change, in particular by promoting self-consumption as part of a sustainable development approach.

The challenge of deploying rooftop solar power is an international one, and HELIUP is initiating projects in Europe with the ambition of exporting its solutions beyond France’s borders in the years to come.

We are extremely grateful to our investors for their continued support of our vision to make solar energy more accessible and efficient than ever. This fundraising will enable us to accelerate our mission to contribute to the transition to cleaner energy.

Yannick VESCHETTI, HELIUP president

EIT InnoEnergy is proud to support Heliup in its acceleration. We are convinced that this experienced and effective team will bring an efficient and sustainable solution to finally cover 80% of today’s commercial building market. The startup has already accelerated significantly since its creation, and the support offered by InnoEnergy will enable them to go even faster and further in their development.

Johanne Ulrich, Investment Director at EIT InnoEnergy France