What pvilion does

Pvilion is a Brooklyn, New York-based manufacturer that designs and engineers solar-integrated fabric structures using a proprietary lamination process that bonds flexible thin-film photovoltaic cells onto durable technical textiles (PVDF-coated Tedlar, PVC-coated polyester, PTFE-coated fiberglass, rip-stop nylon, and Dyneema). Its product portfolio spans single, dual, and quad-pole solar sails; lightweight and heavy-duty solar canopies; mobile solar tents; Solar Powered Integrated Structures (SPIS) for military/emergency use; solar-powered curtains and building facades; solar charging stations; and consumer goods such as solar backpacks and clothing. Fabrics are rated for extreme conditions (e.g., 450 mph wind ratings, snow loads) and carry 25-year architectural warranties, with output of 10-15W per square foot and integrated AGM battery storage capable of up to three off-grid days.

Pvilion generates revenue through four streams: direct hardware sales (e.g., tent kits priced $7K-$10K; canopy configurator Build Now with instant quotes and bulk discounts); custom design, engineering, fabrication, and installation services (e.g., NYC municipal IDEA Program, Yale field house, Atlantic Council resiliency pods); channel rentals (e.g., PRG deploying Pvilion solar fabric on the Coldplay Music of the Spheres World Tour); and OEM/licensing (e.g., Accu-Steel x Pvilion solar-integrated agricultural buildings). Go-to-market spans an online e-commerce configurator for SMBs/individuals, direct enterprise and government sales via phone and contact forms, channel partners (Anchor Industries, PRG), OEM partners (Accu-Steel), and an architect/engineer referral network for custom mid-market and enterprise projects. Customers include NYC Department of Citywide Administrative Services (NYC Botanical Garden solar canopies), the U.S. Air Force (40-unit tent testing program), Carnegie Hall, Atlantic Council's Resilience Center, Nos Quedamos, Accu-Steel, Anchor Industries, and institutional clients spanning defense, government, education, events, hospitality, and agriculture. Founded in 2011 by electrical engineer Colin Touhey (CEO), designer Todd Dalland (President), and architect Robert Lerner, Pvilion is privately held, founder-controlled, and operates from a 13,500 sq ft Industry City facility expanded in December 2023, with no disclosed revenue or institutional equity funding other than a $1.5M SBIR grant in August 2020 and a planned 2026 capital raise.

Name

pvilion

Legal name

Pvilion

Website

https://pvilion.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Pvilion is a Brooklyn-based manufacturer that designs and sells flexible photovoltaic fabric structures — solar sails, canopies, tents, building facades, and military SPIS systems — using proprietary thin-film PV lamination. It serves government, defense, education, events, hospitality, and agriculture customers via direct sales, OEM licensing, and channel partners.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Flexible Photovoltaic Fabric Structures

NAICS

Nonwoven Fabric Mills (313230)

SIC

Miscellaneous Fabricated Textile Products (2390)

akta.pro primary industry

Solar PV Module Manufacturing (Cells, Modules, Thin-Film) (EUAMABAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Solar PV Module & Cell Manufacturing (Crystalline, Thin-Film) (EUAMAHAA), Solar Roofing & Roof-Mounted PV Systems (IMADAFAO), Next-Gen Photovoltaics R&D (Perovskite, Tandem, Organic, BIPV Materials) (EUAMAOAA)

Keywords

• Flexible photovoltaic fabric
• Solar-integrated structures
• Building-integrated photovoltaics
• Portable solar canopies
• Deployable solar tents

Headquarters

HQ city

Brooklyn

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Solar Fabric Products — Hardware Sales: Pvilion designs, engineers, fabricates, and sells solar-integrated fabric products including solar sails, canopies, mobile solar tents, and custom structures. Products range from consumer-facing items to large architectural installations. Tent kit pricing ranges from $7,000 to $10,000 for frame, solar fabric, energy storage, ballast, and lighting. Discount pricing is available for bulk orders.
2. Channel/Rental — Equipment Rental to Partners: Pvilion rents solar fabric systems to partners and event operators. Through PRG, Pvilion's solar fabric was used on the Coldplay Music of the Spheres World Tour, covering stadium seats and generating approximately 100 kilowatt-hours per day to power back-of-house and stage equipment. Rental arrangements are custom per production.
3. Custom Design & Engineering Services: Pvilion provides design-assist, fabrication, and installation services for custom projects. Examples include NYC municipal installations, Yale University field house canopies, Atlantic Council resiliency pods, and defense contractor work. Services include custom branding through fabric printing.
4. Licensing / OEM — Solar Fabric Technology: Pvilion licenses or supplies its solar fabric technology to OEM partners for integration into their own products. Partners include Accu-Steel (agricultural buildings), Anchor Industries (event tents), and various building façade and architectural applications.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion4 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Pvilion designs, engineers and manufactures flexible photovoltaic (PV) fabric structures — solar sails, canopies, mobile tents, building integrations and consumer wearables — produced by laminating thin-film solar cells onto durable technical textiles using a patented process. Its products generate 10-15W per square foot, integrate optional battery storage for up to three days of off-grid operation, and are sold direct, through OEM partners and via an online Build Now configurator with bulk pricing. The company also licenses its solar fabric technology to OEM partners for integration into agricultural buildings, tent structures and event infrastructure.

Product overview

Pvilion is a Brooklyn-based solar fabric technology company that develops products integrating photovoltaic cells into flexible fabric materials to create electricity-generating structures. The product portfolio centers on Solar Powered Integrated Structures (SPIS), which include solar sails in single, dual, and quad pole configurations, heavy duty and lightweight solar canopies, and mobile solar tents. The core Solar Fabric Technology uses Pvilion's patented lamination process on PVDF-Coated Tedlar Fabric and other substrates to enable any sun-exposed fabric surface to generate electricity. The company also offers specialized products including solar charging stations for EVs and devices, solar-powered building integrations (curtains and facades), consumer products (solar backpacks and clothing), military-grade solar tents, solar event fabric kits, and modular SPIS kits for various applications. Applications span architectural shade structures, defense/military use, emergency response, events/hospitality, and consumer wearables.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Single Pole Solar Sail Solar-integrated sail structure with single pole support that provides shade and generates electricity from built-in photovoltaic fabric; configurable online via the Build Now platform for consumers and small businesses.
• Dual Pole Solar Sail Solar sail structure with dual pole support for enhanced stability and larger coverage area while generating renewable electricity; configurable online.
• Quad Pole Solar Sail Solar sail structure with four-pole support system designed for maximum coverage and structural integrity; configurable online with options for permanent/temporary frames, batteries or grid-tie, and accessories.
• Lightweight Solar Canopy Portable, easily deployable solar canopy combining lightweight flexible photovoltaic fabric (Pvilion Patented Lamination Technology on PVDF-coated Tedlar fabric) with an anodized aluminum frame, dimensions approximately 10'L x 12'W x 8'-11'H, with configurable power output, energy storage, foundation and accessories.
• Heavy Duty Solar Canopy Robust permanent solar canopy engineered for durability and high power output (600W-2400W), integrating flexible photovoltaic fabric with an industrial-grade frame, dimensions 24'L x 10'W x 19'H, targeted at defense, event rental and architectural deployments.
• Mobile Solar Tents Portable tent structures integrated with solar fabric technology for temporary shelter and off-grid power generation in military, disaster response, event and emergency settings; includes frame, solar fabric, battery storage, ballast and lighting as a kit.
• Solar Powered Integrated Structures (SPIS) Modular solar-integrated shelter systems combining photovoltaic fabric with portable structures to provide rapidly deployable power and shelter for military, emergency and commercial applications; integrates lighting, heating/cooling units, water harvesting systems and battery storage; grid-tied or fully off-grid; qualifies for 30% Investment Tax Credit.
• Solar Powered Integrated Trailer System Compact, portable solar trailer system designed for expeditionary and austere environments, providing essential power for communications, lighting, environmental controls and electrical devices; lightweight and flexible for quick assembly.
• Solar Charging Stations Solar-powered charging stations integrated into fabric structures for charging electronic devices and electric vehicles, including Level 1 and Level 2 EV charging capabilities, supplied for parks, corporate campuses and public venues.
• Solar Powered Curtains and Building Façades Building integration offerings that use photovoltaic fabric for window curtain treatments and exterior facades, generating electricity while providing shade and privacy for commercial and architectural projects.
• Solar Powered Backpacks and Clothing Wearable consumer products — backpacks and clothing items — embedded with flexible photovoltaic cells for personal on-the-go charging and visible sustainability branding.
• Solar Event Fabric Kits Portable solar-powered fabric kits for events that replace diesel generators; lightweight, flexible, foldable for transport and quick setup on any sunlit surface, modular and scalable for different power output needs; supplied via PRG for entertainment tour and event rentals.
• Custom Design, Fabrication and Engineering Services Design-assist, engineering, fabrication and installation services for custom Pvilion solar fabric projects, including custom branding through fabric printing; delivered to municipalities, universities, cultural institutions and defense contractors.
• Solar Fabric OEM Licensing Licensing and OEM supply of Pvilion's patented solar fabric technology for integration into partner products, including Accu-Steel agricultural buildings, Anchor Industries event tents, and various building façade and architectural applications.

Quantifiable outcome

• 100 kWh/day generated for Coldplay Music of the Spheres World Tour, powering back-of-house for ~50 crew members with lights, laptops, and audio equipment
• +6 more outcomes

Named customers20 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Sunflare Solar: Sunflare produces flexible, building-integrated CIGS thin-film solar panels designed for rooftops, facades, and weight-sensitive surfaces. Directly comparable as a flexible PV manufacturer targeting building-integrated and architectural applications.
• PowerFilm Solar: PowerFilm Solar manufactures flexible thin-film amorphous silicon PV panels and custom OEM solar modules for military, industrial, and consumer applications. Most direct comparable to Pvilion on flexible thin-film PV technology and defense/government customer overlap.
• Solbian Energie Alternative: Solbian makes flexible, lightweight solar panels using high-efficiency monocrystalline cells laminated onto flexible substrates for marine, RV, and architectural applications. Comparable to Pvilion in form factor and flexible PV lamination.
• Ascent Solar Technologies: Ascent Solar manufactures flexible CIGS thin-film PV modules for aerospace, defense, and portable power applications. Overlaps with Pvilion on defense customers (U.S. Air Force, DoD) and lightweight deployable power use cases.

Broad incumbents

• Sunrun: Sunrun is the largest U.S. residential rooftop solar installer benefiting from the same 30% IRA Investment Tax Credit. While not a flexible PV competitor, Sunrun is the dominant incumbent capturing mainstream distributed solar demand that Pvilion's premium SPIS products do not address.
• Tesla Solar Roof: Tesla Solar Roof is a building-integrated PV roofing product that competes for the same sustainability-driven architectural and residential solar budgets as Pvilion's premium SPIS installations, though using a rigid-glass aesthetic.
• Goal Zero (NRG Energy): Goal Zero, now part of NRG Energy, sells portable solar panels, battery-integrated power stations, and mobile lighting for outdoor, emergency, and off-grid use. Overlaps with Pvilion on portable/mobile solar power for events, defense-adjacent, and emergency response.

Emerging players

• Heliatek: Heliatek develops organic photovoltaic (OPV) films for building-integrated and architectural applications on facades and windows. Adjacent competitor to Pvilion's flexible solar fabric approach in the BIPV and architectural solar market.
• MiaSolé Hi-Tech: MiaSolé manufactures flexible CIGS thin-film solar cells on flexible substrates for rooftops, vehicles, and portable applications. Comparable technology platform (flexible thin-film PV) targeting overlapping building-integrated use cases.
• Solar Cloth System Company: Solar Cloth System manufactures flexible CIGS textile solar panels and fabric-integrated PV products, particularly for outdoor and military applications. Closely comparable to Pvilion's textile-form-factor solar products.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/pvilion
• Facebookfacebook.com/pvilionsolar
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/pvilion
• Instagraminstagram.com/pvilion

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 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 pvilion