EIT InnoEnergy's Holosolis launches largest solar PV gigafactory in Europe

Holosolis' new gigafactory in Moselle, France will accelerate Europe's solar PV manufacturing capabilities and help ensure the continent's energy security. It has almost 70% greater production capacity than Europe's current largest factory. 

The factory will start production in 2025 and, at full capacity, will produce 5GW per year, producing 10 million photovoltaic modules annually. That total can power one million European homes. 

The gigafactory boosts Europe as a global solar power producer

Holosolis' move increases Europe's solar manufacturing capacity at a time when its supply sovereignty is increasingly a matter of political concern. Currently, Europe is only responsible for 3% of the world's installed photovoltaic modules compared to China which runs 80%. The new factory also moves Europe in the direction of more low-carbon and recyclable industrial production. 

Holosolis is part of the European dynamics of re-industrialisation of the photovoltaic sector. The international consultation conducted by the Holosolis team, which awarded the first gigafactory site to Sarreguemines in France, is a first illustration of this dimension. EIT InnoEnergy is proud to support a new player like Holosolis, which will undoubtedly be the first industrial reference of the European Solar Industrial Alliance that we are leading. With its 5GW of production, Holosolis will contribute to more than 15% of the ESIA's objective: an annual capacity of 30GW by 2025, corresponding to EUR 60 billion of new annual GDP in Europe and the creation of more than 400 000 new jobs (direct and indirect).

Diego Pavía, CEO of EIT InnoEnergy

The project benefits local talent

Most of its 1 700 workers are to be hired from the Grand Est region and Sarreguemine area in partnership with French unemployment agency Pôle Emploi. France was considered the ideal location for its know-how, workforce availability, infrastructure quality, and low-carbon energy makeup. The Moselle site provides plenty of expansion space as new technologies and manufacturing capacities become integrated in the future.

A step forward for EU sustainable policy

Holosolis was a joint creation between EIT InnoEnergy, French real estate company IDEC Group, and solar energy producer TSE with the express objective of building Europe's largest photovoltaic gigafactory. Its new gigafactory will be considered a strategic success for the EU Green Deal Industrial Plan. It is also one of the flagship initiatives carried out within the framework of the European Solar and photovoltaics Industrial Alliance (ESIA) to re-industrialise Europe. It will contribute to the REPowerEU plan which aims to bring 600GW of solar energy online by 2030. 

We will manufacture the most energy efficient modules, incorporating the latest photovoltaic technologies with the lowest carbon footprint and highest social standards. Scale effects and line automation will allow for a competitive cost to rival the global giants in the industry. Our modules will be aimed at three main markets: residential roofing, industrial and commercial roofing, and agrivoltaics.

Jan Jacob Boom-Wichers, CEO at Holosolis