SolarHub

What SolarHub does

SolarHub is a Greek-Turkish Solar Energy Excellence Hub funded by the European Union's Horizon Europe research and innovation programme under Grant Agreement No 101084107. Founded in 2023 and operating with a small core team of 7 employees coordinated through ODTÜ-GÜNAM at Middle East Technical University in Ankara, Türkiye, the project functions as a research and innovation ecosystem rather than a commercial enterprise. It connects five Regional Innovation Ecosystems — with central hubs in Thessaloniki (Greece) and Ankara (Türkiye), satellite hubs in Athens, Istanbul, and Izmir, and support partners in Cologne, Brussels, and Dublin — bringing together 20+ consortium partners across academia, industry, government, and civil society.

Name

SolarHub

Legal name

SolarHub

Website

https://horizonsolarhub.eu

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Solar Energy Research and Innovation Ecosystem

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

Concentrated Solar & Solar Fuels R&D (CSP Innovations, Thermochemical, Solar-to-Hydrogen) (EUAMAOAE)

Keywords

• Solar energy research
• Innovation ecosystem
• Startup acceleration programs
• Renewable energy consortium
• Agrivoltaics research

Headquarters

HQ city

Thessaloniki

HQ country

Greece

HQ region

Europe

Offices8 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. EU Horizon Europe Funding: SolarHub is funded under the European Union's Horizon Europe research and innovation programme (Grant Agreement No 101084107). This is a non-revenue commercial model as the project is funded by public grants for research and innovation purposes, not through commercial product sales or services.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

SolarHub is an EU Horizon Europe-funded research and innovation consortium operating a Greek-Turkish Solar Energy Excellence Hub. It connects academia, industry, governments, and civil society across five Regional Innovation Ecosystems to advance photovoltaic (PV) and concentrated solar thermal (CST) technologies. Core offerings include the HelioHelix community platform, the IGNITION acceleration programme, the SYNERGIES open innovation challenge programme, and four Pre-Design research outputs.

Product overview

SolarHub is a Horizon Europe-funded Greek-Turkish Solar Energy Excellence Hub operating as a platform-plus-programmes architecture. The ecosystem connects five Regional Innovation Ecosystems across Greece and Türkiye through the HelioHelix community portal, which serves as the central networking and collaboration platform. SolarHub delivers innovation support through two main programmes: IGNITION 2026 (early-stage acceleration with Open Innovation and Challenge tracks) and SYNERGIES 2026 (industry-driven challenge matching). Research outputs are disseminated via Pre-Designs (four solar energy prototypes covering thermal, hydrothermal, PV power, and agrivoltaics solutions) and the DEC Assets library. The ecosystem is accessible through the Training Academy on YouTube, with all public deliverables archived on Zenodo.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• SolarHub IGNITION: Acceleration programme for early-stage innovators, researchers and teams developing solar energy ideas
• SolarHub SYNERGIES
• SolarHub Pre-Designs

Products and services

• HelioHelix Community Portal A dedicated community portal connecting researchers, entrepreneurs, and innovators for knowledge sharing, project collaboration, and networking across the European solar energy ecosystem.
• SolarHub IGNITION 2026 Acceleration Programme An early-stage acceleration programme supporting innovators, researchers, and teams in developing solar energy ideas into structured concepts. Offers two tracks (Open Innovation Track and Challenge Track), 6-month duration, coaching, mentoring, and a €1,000 best pitch prize.
• SolarHub SYNERGIES 2026 Open Innovation Challenges A challenge-driven programme connecting industry-defined real-world challenges with startups, SMEs, and research teams. Industrial partners define challenges and selected participants develop solutions collaboratively with direct industry access, mentoring, and validation support.
• SolarHub Pre-Designs SolarHub's research results and exploitable assets focusing on innovative solar energy solutions. Includes four pre-designs: Low Temp Solar Thermal Solution (solar thermal for agro-food/industrial heat), Hydrothermal Treatment (solar-aided processing of agricultural waste into bio-oil), PV for Power & Micro-Climate (semi-transparent PV modules for dual land use), and Crop Production PV (PV modules adjusting transparency and light spectrum for crop growth).
• SolarHub Training Academy A self-paced training library hosted on the SolarHub YouTube channel covering business strategy, market analysis, finance, solar technology, ESG, and pitching. Available to IGNITION 2026 participants with at least 2 modules required.

Quantifiable outcome

• 5 Regional Innovation Ecosystems established
• +2 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

21 partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• ODTÜ-GÜNAMcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCenter for Solar Energy Research & Applications at Middle East Technical University (METU). Based in Ankara, Türkiye. Serves as the Türkiye Central Hub and consortium lead for multiple Pre-Designs. Key contributor to Low Temp Solar Thermal Solution, Hydrothermal Treatment, and Crop Production PV Pre-Designs.
• CERTHcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCentre for Research & Technology Hellas. Greece-based research organization contributing to solar energy research. Partner in Low Temp Solar Thermal Solution and Hydrothermal Treatment Pre-Designs.
• CREScoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCentre Renewable Energy Sources & Saving. Greece-based renewable energy research center. Leads the Low Temp Solar Thermal Solution and PV for Power & Micro-Climate Pre-Designs.
• EGEsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerEge University. Türkiye-based academic institution. Partner in Crop Production PV Pre-Design focusing on agricultural applications of solar technology.
• ODTÜ (METU)supportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerMiddle East Technical University. Türkiye-based academic institution. Major technical university contributing to solar energy research and education.
• ITUsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerIstanbul Technical University. Türkiye-based technical university. Partner in Low Temp Solar Thermal Solution Pre-Design.
• DLRsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerGerman Aerospace Center - Institute of Solar Research. Germany-based research organization with expertise in solar thermal technologies. Partner in Hydrothermal Treatment Pre-Design.
• GÜNDERsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerTürkiye Section - International Solar Energy Society. Türkiye-based industry organization promoting solar energy adoption.
• SHEsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerSolar Heat Europe. Belgium-based industry association representing solar thermal sector in Europe. Partner in Low Temp Solar Thermal Solution and Hydrothermal Treatment Pre-Designs.
• KALPVsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerKalyon PV. Türkiye-based solar PV manufacturer and industry partner. Partner in Crop Production PV Pre-Design.
• BRITEsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerBrite Solar. Greece-based solar technology company. Partner in PV for Power & Micro-Climate and Crop Production PV Pre-Designs.
• SAMsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerSammler Solar Thermal Systems. Greece-based company specializing in solar thermal technology. Partner in Low Temp Solar Thermal Solution Pre-Design.
• SLMPKsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerSolimpeks Solar Energy. Türkiye-based solar energy company. Partner in Hydrothermal Treatment Pre-Design.
• VENUSsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerVenus Growers. Greece-based agricultural cooperative. Partner in Hydrothermal Treatment and PV for Power & Micro-Climate Pre-Designs, providing agricultural sector perspective.
• TATsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerTat Food. Türkiye-based food industry company. Partner in PV for Power & Micro-Climate and Crop Production PV Pre-Designs, providing agri-food industry perspective.
• IDIsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational Development Ireland. Ireland-based international development organization. Support partner contributing to ecosystem development.
• TUBKsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerScientific & Technological Research Institution of Turkey (TÜBİTAK). Türkiye government research funding organization.
• RDFCMsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional Development Fund of Central Macedonia. Greece-based regional government body supporting innovation ecosystem development.
• TAGEMsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerMinistry of Agriculture and Forestry. Türkiye government ministry. Partner in Crop Production PV Pre-Design, providing agricultural policy perspective.
• ELENsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerElectra Energy Cooperative. Greece-based civil society organization and energy cooperative. Partner providing societal actor perspective.
• TZOBsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerGolbasi Ankara Farmers Association. Türkiye-based civil society organization representing farmers. Partner providing agricultural community perspective.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• ETIP PV: European Technology and Innovation Platform for Photovoltaics, an EU-convened multi-stakeholder forum that shapes PV research and innovation priorities—directly comparable to SolarHub's role convening academia, industry and policy around solar PV.
• Solar Heat Europe: European industry association promoting solar thermal technologies and already a SolarHub consortium partner; directly comparable as a pan-European organisation advancing concentrated solar thermal adoption and policy.
• EU-SUNERGY: Horizon 2020-funded European research consortium developing next-generation PV and solar fuels technologies; directly comparable to SolarHub as a publicly funded EU solar R&D initiative spanning multiple countries and institutions.
• EIT InnoEnergy: EU-backed sustainable energy innovation ecosystem that supports startups and research commercialisation across Europe, comparable to SolarHub as a publicly funded clean-energy innovation platform that bridges research and industry.
• International Solar Energy Society (ISES): Global non-profit fostering solar energy research, education and policy, with a Türkiye national section already part of the SolarHub consortium—comparable as a multi-stakeholder solar innovation convener.
• Fraunhofer ISE: Germany's leading applied solar energy research institute, partner of SolarHub via DLR ecosystem; highly comparable as a research institute advancing PV and concentrated solar power across industrial, agricultural and power-generation applications.

Regional players

• RES4Africa Foundation: Non-profit foundation promoting renewable energy and skills development across Mediterranean and African markets; comparable as a regional ecosystem-builder focused on renewable energy adoption and innovation partnerships outside SolarHub's core Eastern Mediterranean footprint.

Emerging players

• Brite Solar: Greece-based solar technology company and SolarHub consortium partner developing semi-transparent PV and agrivoltaic solutions; comparable as a Greek-origin emerging player in the same PV-for-agriculture niche SolarHub's Pre-Designs target.
• Kalyon PV: Türkiye-based PV manufacturer and SolarHub partner focused on domestic solar module production; comparable as a Turkish emerging player bridging solar manufacturing with agricultural PV applications of interest to the SolarHub consortium.

Broad incumbents

• SolarPower Europe: Largest European solar industry association representing the broader PV value chain; overlaps with SolarHub's industry-engagement work but operates at a pan-European lobbying scale well beyond a single innovation project.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCkn6sV9ChRJkzO0KCzcKGkA
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/solarhubeu

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 SolarHub