PVTIME – A new European manufacturing project, funded by the European Commission’s Horizon Europe programme, has commenced operations. Its core mission is to strengthen underdeveloped links within the EU’s photovoltaic industrial chain. The EuroCZFactory project was formally initiated following a two-day launch event hosted by SINTEF in Trondheim, Norway, on 23 and 24 June 2026.
This collaborative event brought together 16 European institutions from the photovoltaic manufacturing, technological research, and industrial innovation sectors. These institutions collectively finalised the project’s official technical roadmap and initial implementation arrangements. Focusing on Czochralski monocrystalline silicon ingot and wafer production, the 42-month project addresses Europe’s ongoing upstream supply deficits amid the continuous expansion of regional solar installation capacity.
The cross-organisational research team will develop and localise full-scale mass production technologies for core solar raw materials. This will include optimising silicon crystal growth and wafer slicing processes, constructing digitally intelligent manufacturing lines and verifying technical feasibility through purpose-built pilot production facilities. The project’s primary strategic goal is to enhance independent upstream photovoltaic manufacturing technologies, with the aim of bridging regional capacity gaps and providing robust technical support for future EU solar industrial policy initiatives.
At the launch meeting, project partners confirmed unified collaborative strategies, agreeing to integrate EuroCZFactory with existing European photovoltaic industry support schemes to optimise the domestic renewable manufacturing ecosystem. SolarPower Europe will be responsible for disseminating results, commercialising technology and conducting external outreach, while undertaking key strategic delivery tasks throughout the project lifecycle.
During the project’s initial phase, comprehensive assessments will be conducted to identify industrial constraints, including technical bottlenecks, funding shortages, and regulatory barriers hindering the expansion of domestic silicon ingot and wafer production capacity. Stakeholders will systematically evaluate EU-level and regional funding resources accessible to them, including the EU Innovation Fund, Important Projects of Common European Interest, and specialised regional investment programmes, with the aim of facilitating local manufacturing growth.
During the initial launch phase, foundational operational frameworks, unified technical standards and multi-party collaborative mechanisms will be established alongside official external communication channels. Public updates on the progress of the EuroCZFactory project will be released in due course.
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