EMPOWER is a Horizon Europe initiative bringing together 24 partners from 9 countries with the goal of advancing photovoltaic (PV) manufacturing technologies in Europe. The project focuses on developing cost-effective, high-throughput equipment and processes that significantly reduce production costs across the PV value chain.

Project Objectives:

• Achieve up to 45% cost reduction in PV manufacturing:

  • Wafer production: -50%

  • Cell production: -20%

  • Module production: -50%

• Support the re-industrialization of Europe’s solar sector through technology leadership.

Core Technological Areas:

• Wafer Manufacturing: Development of high-throughput tools and processes to enhance efficiency.

• Cell Metallization: Introduction of low-cost metallization techniques to reduce silver consumption.

• Cell Edge Passivation: High-throughput passivation methods to recover power losses from cell cutting.

• Interconnection Technologies: Scalable solutions for both traditional and alternative interconnection methods.

• Lamination: High-yield laminators designed for throughput and production flexibility.

• Digitalization: Integration of an Industry 4.0 Digital Platform Core (DPC) for AI-driven quality control and optimized manufacturing.

Metsolar’s Contribution:

As a demonstrator partner, Metsolar contributes to the development and validation of the following components:

• Alternative cell interconnection technologies, including new-generation stringing solutions.

• Retrofit of lamination systems to support high-throughput and next-generation module designs.

• Digitalization and quality control upgrades aligned with Industry 4.0 principles.

• Implementation of a Digital Product Passport, enabling full traceability and ecological transparency of PV modules.

EMPOWER aims to strengthen the competitiveness and sustainability of European PV manufacturing by combining innovation, digitalization, and cross-border collaboration.

EMPOWER project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation program under grant agreement No.: 101172767.
Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or CINEA. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.