Austria Solar Innovation Center

What Austria Solar Innovation Center does

Austria Solar Innovation Center (ASIC) is a research and development institute embedded within FH Oberösterreich (University of Applied Sciences Upper Austria) at Campus Wels, established in March 2000 with public financing from Land Oberösterreich, Stadt Wels, and Elektrizitätswerk Wels. The institute operates a solar laboratory with indoor and outdoor measurement stations for solar thermal collector performance testing, an optical laboratory for transmission and absorption characterization of collector components, and PV module measurement capabilities. Its service catalogue spans testing and certification of solar thermal collectors, measurement of photovoltaic modules, functional and yield control of thermal solar and PV installations, optical characterization of materials, planning support and simulation for large-scale solar thermal systems (domestic hot water, space heating support, process heat, solar cooling), vendor-neutral consulting, and training and lectures.

The institute's revenue mechanics are anchored in publicly funded research projects, government-supported institutional financing, and project-based testing and consulting engagements with industry partners; pricing is not publicly disclosed. Customers are split between industry partners in the renewable energy sector seeking independent testing, certification, performance validation, and consulting, and academic/research institutions collaborating on solar energy R&D. ASIC participates in international IEA research consortia — SHC Tasks 58 and 60 (Thermal Energy Storage and PVT) and PVPS Tasks 15 and 16 (Building Integrated PV and Solar Resource for High Penetration) — and is a member of the FH OÖ Center of Excellence Energie, anchoring it within both Austrian and international research networks.

The current research portfolio has broadened beyond legacy solar thermal testing into adjacent areas including thermochemical storage materials (New-TCM), solar cooling (Solar Cooling 2.0), sorptive conditioning of electric vehicles, smart grid systems (CASGriS), and energy storage clusters (Urbaner Speichercluster Südburgenland), indicating a deliberate extension from device-level testing toward integrated energy system research. As a university-affiliated R&D group, ASIC does not have independent ownership, does not disclose revenue, and operates outside commercial PE/VC investment frameworks.

Name

Austria Solar Innovation Center

Legal name

FH Oberösterreich (University of Applied Sciences Upper Austria)

Website

https://asic.at

Company type

Private

Founded year

2000

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Austria Solar Innovation Center (ASIC) is a publicly funded R&D institute at FH Oberösterreich Campus Wels that provides independent testing, measurement, and consulting services for solar thermal collectors, photovoltaic modules, and large-scale solar energy systems to industry partners and research institutions.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Solar Energy Research and Testing Services

NAICS

Testing Laboratories and Services (541380), Testing Laboratories and Services (54138), Other Scientific and Technical Consulting Services (541690)

SIC

Services-Testing Laboratories (8734), Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

Solar Quality, Testing, Certification & Standards (Lab Testing, Inspections, Compliance) (EUAMABAN)

akta.pro secondary industries

Solar Workforce, Training & Safety Services (Installer Training, Certification, EHS) (EUAMABAO), Third-Party Certification, Code Compliance & Regulatory Inspection (ASME/API/ISO) (EUAEAHAN)

Keywords

• Solar thermal testing
• Photovoltaic measurement services
• Renewable energy research
• Solar collector certification
• Energy systems consulting

Headquarters

HQ city

Neuzeug

HQ country

Austria

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Infrastructure, Others

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

ASIC is a research and development institute at FH OÖ Campus Wels providing independent testing, measurement, consulting, and R&D collaboration services for solar thermal collectors and photovoltaic modules. The institute operates specialized laboratory facilities — including indoor and outdoor collector performance test stations and an optical laboratory for material characterization — serving industry partners, utilities, and research institutions with vendor-neutral certification, performance validation, and planning support for solar energy systems.

Product overview

ASIC is a research and development institute at FH OÖ Campus Wels specializing in solar technology research since March 2000. The organization offers a portfolio of testing, measurement, and consulting services rather than commercial products. Core offerings include solar thermal collector testing (both indoor and outdoor), photovoltaic module measurement, optical property characterization, functional and yield monitoring of solar systems, and planning support for large-scale solar thermal installations. The institute operates a Solar Laboratory with indoor/outdoor measurement facilities and an Optical Laboratory for component characterization. Services cover domestic hot water preparation, space heating support, process heat provision, and solar cooling applications.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered flagship and core.

• International Energy Agency (IEA) - Solar Heating and Cooling ProgrammeflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerASIC participates in multiple IEA SHC research tasks including Task 58 (Thermal Energy Storage), Task 60 (PVT), and other collaborative research initiatives in solar thermal technology.
• International Energy Agency (IEA) - Photovoltaic Power Systems ProgrammeflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerASIC participates in IEA PVPS research tasks including Task 15 (Building Integrated Photovoltaics) and Task 16 (Solar Resource for High Penetration and Large Scale Application).
• Center of Excellence Energie (COE Energie)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerASIC is part of the FH OÖ Center of Excellence for Energy, a research cluster focused on energy technologies and renewable energy systems.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• ENEA Portici Research Centre: Italian national agency running solar thermal and PV testing facilities and applied renewable energy research. Similar institutional mandate and service portfolio, serving a different national market.
• CENER (National Renewable Energy Centre of Spain): Spanish national renewable energy research center with solar thermal and PV testing facilities. Comparable testing + R&D institute structure, but based in a different European geography.

Direct peers

• SPF Institut für Solartechnik: Swiss institute at HSR Rapperswil providing solar thermal collector testing, certification, and R&D services. Direct functional analogue to ASIC with very similar service mix (collector testing, PV measurement, applied research) and customer profile (manufacturers and project developers).
• AEE INTEC: Austrian research institute specializing in solar thermal systems, large-scale solar thermal installations, and thermal storage R&D. Direct Austrian peer with overlapping focus on solar thermal large-scale planning and district heating applications.
• Solites: German Steinbeis research center focused on solar thermal system testing, seasonal thermal storage, and large-scale solar thermal district projects. Closely aligned applied research focus on solar thermal large-scale systems and seasonal storage.
• ITW Institute of Thermodynamics and Thermal Process Engineering: University of Stuttgart institute conducting solar thermal and PVT research, collector testing, and thermal storage development. Comparable research lab with overlapping technical themes (solar thermal, storage, PVT) in a university setting.

Broad incumbents

• TÜV Rheinland Energy & Climate Services: Global testing and certification body offering Solar Keymark, IEC PV module certification, and quality assurance for solar products. Provides the commercial-scale, internationally accredited alternative to ASIC's independent testing offering.
• Fraunhofer ISE: Germany's largest applied solar energy research institute, covering PV, solar thermal, PVT, storage, and grid integration with testing, certification, and consulting services. A far larger, internationally established counterpart in the same niche ASIC occupies.
• VDE Renewables: German testing and certification organization for PV modules, inverters, and energy systems. Competes for the same PV module measurement and certification work that ASIC performs for European manufacturers.
• TÜV SÜD Industrie Service: Global TIC provider offering Solar Keymark certification and PV module testing alongside energy infrastructure inspection services. Direct competitor for accredited third-party certification work.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/asic-austria-solar-innovation-center

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Austria Solar Innovation Center