TVP Solar

What TVP Solar does

TVP Solar is a Swiss cleantech company founded in 2008 by Piero Abbate and Vittorio Palmieri (a former CERN physicist) that designs, manufactures, and commercializes high-vacuum flat solar thermal panels for industrial process heat and district heating applications. Its flagship product, the MT-Power v.4 evacuated tube collector, leverages proprietary high-vacuum insulation technology (Thermal Vacuum Power Charged™) protected by 184 granted patents, achieving over 65% thermal efficiency and delivering heat at industrial temperatures between 65°C and 180°C. The company operates a 50+ MW/year manufacturing facility in Avellino, Italy through its wholly owned subsidiary Tresol Srl, while corporate and commercial functions are based at headquarters in Satigny (Geneva), Switzerland.

The company runs an integrated business model spanning four revenue streams: direct hardware sales of MT-Power panels and complete system packages; EPC services for turnkey industrial installations; long-term O&M contracts providing recurring maintenance revenue; and Heat Purchase Agreements in which TVP Solar finances, owns, and operates the solar thermal plant and bills the customer per MWh of delivered heat (as low as 24 €/MWh, or 7 $/MMBtu) with no upfront CAPEX and no O&M risk for the customer. Distribution combines direct enterprise field sales (with country managers for DACH, France, USA, Brazil, and China) and a certified channel partner network of 15 partners across 10 countries. Reference customers include PepsiCo, Nestlé, Saudi Aramco, Engie, Martini & Rossi, Emmi, and Shell/Vivo Lubricants across oil & gas, food & beverage, dairy, district heating, and heavy industrial manufacturing verticals, with installations operational across four continents.

TVP Solar has raised approximately CHF 24.65M in disclosed equity financing between 2010 and 2016, plus subsequent rounds including a 2019 Agility-led $18M and a December 2024 Technology Fund round, with total disclosed investment of roughly 100M CHF per CEO commentary. Notable projects include the 37 MW Dorkwerd solar district heating plant in the Netherlands, the Sondershausen district heating project in Germany, California Dairies in the USA, and PepsiCo's beverage facility in Brazil. The company is led by co-founder Piero Abbate (CEO), with Vittorio Palmieri as Founder & Technology Adviser, Sofia Abbate as CFO, Francesco Vitobello as COO, Guglielmo Cioni as CBDO (also President of Solar Heat Europe), and Gilbert Farina as VP Sales. Multiple industry recognitions (Intersolar Award, MESIA, WIPO, Sun-Shot) and certifications (Solar Keymark, SRCC, ISO 9001/14001/45001, ESCO) underpin commercial credibility.

Name

TVP Solar

Legal name

TVP Solar SA

Website

https://tvpsolar.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2008

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

TVP Solar is a Swiss cleantech company that designs, manufactures, and operates high-vacuum solar thermal panels for industrial process heat and district heating, serving enterprise customers across four continents with proprietary 184-patent technology and a no-CAPEX Heat Purchase Agreement model.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Industrial Solar Thermal Energy Systems

NAICS

Solar Electric Power Generation (221114)

akta.pro primary industry

Solar EPC & Construction (Utility-Scale, Rooftop, Balance of System) (EUAMABAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Solar Thermal & CSP Systems (Collectors, Receivers, Thermal Storage, CSP EPC) (EUAMABAL), Solar PV Power Plant EPC (Utility-Scale) (EUAEAAAG)

Keywords

• Solar thermal panels
• Industrial process heat
• Renewable thermal energy
• Vacuum insulation technology
• District heating solutions

Headquarters

HQ city

Genève

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Personnel, Infrastructure, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Solar Thermal Hardware Sales: Direct sales of MT-Power solar thermal collectors and complete system packages to industrial customers. One-time hardware revenue from panel sales, balance of system components, and proprietary evacuated tube technology.
2. EPC Services: Engineering, Procurement, and Construction services for large-scale solar thermal installations. Includes project design, installation management, and commissioning for turnkey industrial solar heating solutions.
3. Long-term Service & Maintenance Contracts: Ongoing O&M services for installed solar thermal systems, providing recurring revenue through performance monitoring, maintenance, and support contracts typically spanning multi-year terms.
4. Heat Purchase Agreements: Innovative financing model where TVP Solar finances, owns, and operates the solar thermal installation. Customer pays for delivered heat at agreed rate with no upfront CAPEX, creating recurring revenue stream over contract term.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

TVP Solar designs, manufactures, and markets high-vacuum flat solar thermal panels (MT-Power v.4) and delivers turnkey solar thermal plant solutions for industrial process heat (65–180°C) and district heating networks. The company offers EPC services, SCADA-based plant controls, thermal storage, long-term O&M, and Heat Purchase Agreements that remove upfront capital expenditure and operating risk for clients.

Product overview

TVP Solar is a Swiss cleantech company offering high-vacuum solar thermal panels and complete plant solutions for industrial decarbonization and district heating. The core product is the MT-Power v.4 high-vacuum solar thermal panel, which delivers thermal energy at temperatures from 65°C to 180°C. The company provides integrated solutions including solar thermal plant design, EPC services, SCADA control systems, thermal storage solutions, and long-term Heat Purchase Agreements—all without upfront capital expenditure for clients. Their proprietary high-vacuum insulation technology (Thermal Vacuum Power Charged™) is protected by 184 granted patents and enables delivery of medium-temperature heat and low-pressure steam for industrial applications.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• MT-Power v.4 High-Vacuum Solar Thermal Panel Flagship high-vacuum evacuated tube solar thermal panel for industrial and district heating applications. Generates carbon-free thermal energy at 65–180°C, with over 65% thermal peak efficiency at 100°C and over 50% efficiency at 180°C. Backed by 184 granted patents and Solar Keymark/SRCC certifications.
• Solar Thermal Plant Solutions (Turnkey EPC) Complete turnkey solar thermal plant solutions for industrial and district heating customers, including design, engineering, EPC subcontracting and commissioning, with modular layout for scalable energy delivery. Delivered for projects such as the 37 MW Dorkwerd solar district heat plant in the Netherlands.
• Operations & Maintenance Services Recurring operations and maintenance services for installed solar thermal plants, ensuring daily safe, efficient and reliable energy production with performance monitoring and multi-year support contracts.
• Heat Purchase Agreements (HPA) Long-term performance and product guarantees that bill industrial and utility end-clients for delivered thermal energy at as low as 24 €/MWh (7 $/MMBtu) with no upfront CAPEX and no O&M risk or cost. TVP Solar finances, installs, owns and operates the system.

Quantifiable outcome

• 65-180°C temperature range for industrial process heat
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core, minor and flagship.

• Solar Heat EuropecoreOthersActive membership and participation in Solar Heat Europe, the European solar thermal industry association. Contributes to industry standards development, regulatory advocacy, and market development initiatives for solar thermal technology in Europe.
• Euroheat PowercoreOthersMembership in Euroheat Power, the European association for heating and cooling. Participation in district heating and solar thermal industry initiatives, standards development, and regulatory advocacy.
• AIRUminorOthersMembership in AIRU (Italian Association for District Heating and Cooling). Participation in Italian market development and regulatory activities for solar thermal and district heating.
• SwissolarcoreOthersActive membership in Swissolar, the Swiss solar energy industry association. Home country industry representation and participation in Swiss renewable energy initiatives.
• AGFWminorOthersMembership in AGFW (German Association for Heat and Power). Participation in German and European district heating, cooling, and solar thermal industry activities.
• ABRASOLminorOthersMembership in ABRASOL (Brazilian Solar Energy Association). Participation in Brazilian solar thermal market development and industry representation.
• Ocean Rubber FactoryflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerInstallation of MT-Power solar thermal system for industrial heat requirements at Ocean Rubber Factory facility in UAE. Project demonstrates solar thermal application in rubber manufacturing sector, a reference installation for Middle East market expansion.
• AgilityminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerProject partnership with Agility for solar thermal installation project in Kuwait. Agility provides logistics, project execution, and operational support for industrial solar projects in the Gulf region.
• USTCminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerStrategic partnership with USTC (China) for solar thermal technology deployment and project development in the Chinese market.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights10 records

Direct peers

• Aalborg CSP: Danish supplier of solar thermal collector technology and EPC services for industrial process heat and district heating. Most direct comparable to TVP Solar across product, customer verticals (oil & gas, district heating), and heat-only (non-PV) technology orientation.
• Absolicon: Swedish manufacturer of parabolic trough solar collectors targeting industrial steam and process heat, with a comparable 100–400°C operating envelope. Competes with TVP for the same industrial decarbonization RFPs in Europe.
• GlassPoint: US/UAE-based supplier of solar steam generators for enhanced oil recovery and industrial process heat. Comparable in serving oil & gas customers in the Gulf with utility-scale solar thermal installations.
• Arcon-Sunmark: Danish large-scale solar thermal provider for district heating and industrial heat. Operates in the same European district-heating RFP channel as TVP Solar (e.g., comparable to the Groningen-Dorkwerd project type).
• Savo-Solar (Akvosolar): Finnish large-area solar thermal collector manufacturer serving district heating and industrial customers in Northern Europe. Closely comparable technology positioning and similar industrial heat target market.
• Soltigua: Italian solar thermal EPC and component company. Closely comparable regional positioning (Italian operations, Mediterranean and EMEA focus) and similar industrial process heat customer profile.
• Heliogen: US-based concentrated solar technology company targeting industrial process heat and renewable fuel applications. Competes with TVP for industrial decarbonization budgets where very high temperatures or alternative heat delivery models are required.
• Suntrace: German-based solar thermal engineering and project development firm focused on industrial and commercial solar heat in EMEA and emerging markets. Comparable systems-integration and project-development model.

Emerging players

• BrightSource Energy: US-based concentrated solar power (CSP) company pivoting toward industrial heat applications. Adjacent technology stack (concentrated solar) and overlapping customer interest in industrial decarbonization.

Broad incumbents

• Bosch Thermotechnology: Large established heating equipment manufacturer with a solar thermal division serving residential and commercial customers. Represents the incumbent alternative for customers considering conventional heating OEMs rather than a specialist solar thermal player.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/tvp-solar-sa
• Xx.com/tvpsolar

Compliance6 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds5 records

Investors2 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about TVP Solar