Institut Photovoltaque Ile France

What Institut Photovoltaque Ile France does

Institut Photovoltaïque d'Île-de-France (IPVF) is a French research institute established in 2012 as a public-private partnership on the initiative of EDF and Total (now TotalEnergies), with founding members Air Liquide, CNRS and École Polytechnique, and equipment manufacturing partners Horiba and Riber. The institute is labeled as an Institute for Energy Transition (ITE) under the Investissements d'Avenir program and is supported by the French State through the General Secretariat for Investment (SGPI), the National Research Agency (ANR), ADEME, the Île-de-France Region and the France 2030 program. It is domiciled as a SASU at 18 Boulevard Thomas Gobert, 91120 Palaiseau, on the Paris-Saclay campus.

The institute operates an 8,000 m² technological platform with over 100 pieces of cutting-edge equipment in clean rooms, valued at approximately €100 million, and hosts more than 200 researchers drawn from its partners. Core research programs cover perovskite-silicon tandem solar cells (with a world-record 31% efficiency achieved on a 4 cm² device with TU Delft in June 2026), III-V on silicon cells, solar-to-fuel and advanced luminescence characterization. Technology outputs are organized into three licensable patent families (LEAF, SUNKLIPS, CHARACTERIZATION) and a set of services marketed under four brands: IPVF Platform (facility access), IPVF Enable (project evaluation), IPVF UNITE (industry networking) and the IP Licensing Platform.

IPVF's revenue mechanics combine recurring industrial subscriptions and co-development funding from anchor partners (EDF, TotalEnergies, Air Liquide, Horiba, Riber, Voltec Solar), competitive public grants (ANR, SGPI, France 2030, ADEME, Île-de-France Region, EU programs such as TRIUMPH and ESIA), platform-access fees, IP licensing royalties and project-evaluation consulting. Customer segmentation is enterprise-led, serving large energy and industrial players alongside academic researchers, startups and SMEs that access the platform for prototyping and validation.

Name

Institut Photovoltaque Ile France

Legal name

INSTITUT PHOTOVOLTAIQUE D'ILE DE FRANCE (IPVF)

Website

https://ipvf.fr

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Photovoltaic Research Services

NAICS

Scientific Research and Development Services (5417)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

Solar Project Development & IPP (Utility-Scale & Rooftop) (EUAMABAA)

Keywords

• Photovoltaic research services
• Perovskite tandem cells
• Solar cell prototyping
• Photovoltaic platform access
• Solar technology licensing

Headquarters

HQ city

Palaiseau

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Research Partnerships and Collaborative R&D: IPVF operates as a public-private partnership funded by industry partners (EDF, TotalEnergies, Air Liquide, Horiba, Riber) and government bodies (General Secretariat for Investment SGPI, National Research Agency ANR)
2. Platform Services: Access to cutting-edge R&D facilities and equipment in clean rooms for external companies and researchers
3. Technology Licensing: Transfer of technologies developed by R&D to companies working in sustainable sector through patent licensing (LEAF, SUNKLIPS, CHARACTERIZATION patent families)
4. Project Evaluation Services (IPVF Enable): Evaluation of potential for innovative photovoltaic projects through rapid, effective studies covering scientific, technical, and commercial aspects

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

IPVF is a French photovoltaic research institute that conducts applied R&D on next-generation solar cell technologies, including perovskite-silicon tandems and silicon heterojunction cells. It operates an 8,000 m² R&D platform with more than €100 million of specialized equipment, and sells research collaboration, project evaluation, IP licensing, and a photovoltaic industry networking club.

Product overview

IPVF (Institut Photovoltaïque d'Île-de-France) is a research institute structured as a platform-plus-services organization dedicated to accelerating energy transition through photovoltaic technology R&D. The core offerings include the IPVF Platform (8,000 m² R&D facility with 100+ equipment units in clean rooms for research and prototyping), IPVF Enable (project evaluation and consulting services), IP Licensing Platform (technology transfer and patent licensing), and IPVF UNITE Club (industry networking). The institute also develops and licenses specific technologies including LEAF (lightweight photovoltaic modules), SUNKLIPS (injection-molded modular panels), and CHARACTERIZATION (luminescence-based solar cell analysis). IPVF's research programs span tandem perovskite/silicon cells, III-V on silicon cells, solar-to-fuel, and characterization/modeling, with recent breakthrough achieving 31% efficiency on 4 cm² perovskite-silicon tandem devices.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• IPVF UNITE: Network bringing together photovoltaic players around innovation projects and building the industry of tomorrow.
• IPVF Enable
• IPVF Platform

Products and services

• IPVF Platform An 8,000 m² R&D facility equipped with more than €100 million of specialized photovoltaic process and characterization equipment, provided as a platform-access service to industrial and academic partners for joint research, prototyping, and pre-industrial scale-up of next-generation solar cell technologies.

Quantifiable outcome

• 31% power conversion efficiency achieved for 4 cm² perovskite-silicon tandem solar cell
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

21 partnerships are on record, tiered core, founding and minor.

• TU Delft (Delft University of Technology)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 18 June 2026Joint research collaboration achieving 31% efficiency for perovskite-silicon tandem solar cell. TU Delft contributed nanotextured silicon heterojunction bottom cells while IPVF fabricated perovskite top cells.
• EDFfoundingStrategic or Co-development Partner · 13 January 2012EDF is a founding partner of IPVF, created on the initiative of EDF and Total. EDF contributes research engineers and scientists to collaborative programs on photovoltaic technologies including tandem solar cell development.
• TotalEnergiesfoundingStrategic or Co-development Partner · 13 January 2012TotalEnergies (formerly Total) is a founding partner of IPVF. They collaborate on research including SunKlips technology development and perovskite/silicon tandem modules.
• Air LiquidefoundingStrategic or Co-development Partner · 13 January 2012Air Liquide is a founding partner of IPVF, contributing expertise in industrial gases and materials for photovoltaic manufacturing processes.
• CNRSfoundingStrategic or Co-development Partner · 13 January 2012CNRS (National Centre for Scientific Research) is a founding academic partner of IPVF. They provide researchers and lead programs including characterization (ICARE) and new materials development (PROOF program).
• École PolytechniquefoundingStrategic or Co-development Partner · 13 January 2012École Polytechnique is a founding academic partner of IPVF, hosting the LPICM laboratory involved in silicon heterojunction cell development.
• HoribacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 13 January 2012Horiba is an equipment manufacturer partner providing scientific instrumentation for research activities at IPVF.
• RibercoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 13 January 2012Riber is an equipment manufacturer partner providing molecular beam epitaxy equipment for III-V semiconductor research.
• EDF Lab Paris-SaclaycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEDF Lab Paris-Saclay hosts the ISOS 17 conference venue. Long-standing partner providing conference facilities and research collaboration.
• EERA-PV (European Energy Research Alliance - Photovoltaics)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIPVF participates in EERA Joint Program on Photovoltaic Solar Energy, contributing to collective European research efforts and publications.
• European Solar PV Industry Alliance (ESIA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIPVF joined ESIA which aims to accelerate solar PV deployment in EU by scaling up to 30 GW annual manufacturing capacity. Launched by European Commission in 2022.
• TRIUMPH ConsortiumcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEU-funded 3.5-year project on triple junction perovskite/perovskite/silicon cells. First European consortium on this technology involving best-in-class RTOs, universities and industries.
• Voltec SolarcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership in 'France PV Industrie' project to build a new industrial photovoltaic manufacturing facility based on innovative technology.
• University of New South WalesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated on paper published in Progress in Photovoltaics on need for fundamental photovoltaics research to ensure energy security.
• University of TwenteminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborating institution on fundamental photovoltaics research paper for energy security.
• Western UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborating institution on fundamental photovoltaics research paper.
• University of OttawaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborating institution on fundamental photovoltaics research paper.
• University of VictoriaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborating institution on fundamental photovoltaics research paper.
• Stanford UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborating institution on fundamental photovoltaics research paper for energy security.
• University of Wisconsin-MadisonminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborating institution on fundamental photovoltaics research paper.
• CEA LitencoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFrench Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission - major French research organization collaborating on photovoltaic research and co-hosting EU events.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL): U.S. Department of Energy national laboratory dedicated to renewable energy research, with a deep solar cell program that has historically set record efficiencies and engages industrial partners on next-gen tandem architectures functionally analogous to IPVF's mission.
• Empa: Swiss federal materials science laboratory with a strong thin-film, perovskite and tandem PV program, hosting laboratory-to-fab scale-up projects for industry in a public-private research model analogous to IPVF's platform-plus-services offering.
• imec: Belgium-based nanoelectronics and thin-film PV research organization with an established perovskite and tandem silicon solar cell program that provides R&D services and licensing to industrial partners similar to IPVF's offerings.
• CSEM: Swiss applied research center that operates a long-standing PV laboratory and has set multiple record efficiencies in silicon, tandem and perovskite devices, combining industry-funded research, platform access and licensing in a public-private model directly analogous to IPVF.
• Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE: Germany's largest applied PV research institute and Europe's leading solar R&D organization, pursuing parallel perovskite-silicon tandem roadmaps and operating similarly large experimental infrastructure for industrial partners.
• Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin (HZB): German research center running the PVcomB and EMIL institutes, regularly publishing record perovskite and tandem cell efficiencies and operating beamline characterization tools in a public-private model comparable to IPVF's clean-room platform.
• Solliance / TNO Solar: Netherlands-based thin-film and perovskite PV research consortium with industrial partners (including equipment makers like the kind IPVF works with such as Riber), focused on next-generation PV R&D, pilot-line scale-up and IP licensing.
• CEA-Liten: The French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission's Liten institute is IPVF's primary national peer, also publicly funded, also based in France and focused on solar PV R&D (cells, modules, characterization) with co-hosting of EU PV events referenced in IPVF's own materials.

Broad incumbents

• First Solar: U.S.-listed global thin-film (CdTe) PV module manufacturer investing in tandem architectures; provides a benchmark industrial incumbent whose scale and procurement decisions materially shape the licensing and partnership opportunities available to IPVF's R&D output.

Emerging players

• Oxford PV: U.K.-headquartered company commercializing perovskite-silicon tandem solar cells. Closest commercially focused counterpart to IPVF's tandem research, competing for the same industrial licensing customers that IPVF serves.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/playlist?list=PLFTNVz3_ugNzkdKggiKf3O01eZLL-K1Y6
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/10650349
• Xx.com/ipvf_institute
• Facebookfacebook.com/IPVF.institute

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 Institut Photovoltaque Ile France