EPFL startup Insolight raises 5 million francs

Les premiers modules commercialisés seront destinés à l'agriculture© 2020 Insolight - High-efficiency solar panel manufacturer Insolight today announced the completion of a CHF 5 million fundraising round. The firm, which also received a four-year, CHF 10 million grant from the EU, will begin producing and selling its technology, designed initially for use in agriculture. Insolight, an EPFL startup that manufactures high-efficiency solar panels, has raised CHF 5 million - mainly from Swiss investors - to bring its product a step closer to market. The injection of capital comes on top of a CHF 10 million EU grant awarded to the HIPERION consortium, which brings together a range of industry and research partners. The company, whose technology has achieved record efficiency of 29% for sun-to-electricity conversion, will initially target the agricultural sector with translucent panels that can act as both greenhouse covers and power plants. Targeting agriculture first The photovoltaic modules developed by Insolight, based at EPFL's Innovation Park, represent a novel approach to solar power generation. Lenses embedded in a thin glass layer focus sunlight on tiny, high-efficiency, space-grade solar cells below.