Heliup, a French industrial deeptech company specialized in lightweight photovoltaic solutions and supported by InnoEnergy since 2023, has secured €16 million in funding to accelerate the large-scale deployment of its solar technology dedicated to existing building rooftops.
This milestone marks a decisive step toward unlocking one of Europe’s most underexploited solar resources: large rooftops with limited load-bearing capacity, which cannot accommodate conventional photovoltaic panels.
Unlocking a major untapped solar potential
As Europe strengthens its climate regulations and pursues greater energy independence, solarizing the existing building stock represents one of the fastest and most scalable levers to reduce carbon emissions.
A spin-off from CEA research and industrialized in France, Heliup aims to become a leading player in lightweight photovoltaics in Europe — contributing simultaneously to:
- The decarbonization of the building sector
- European energy sovereignty
- Industrial relocalization
Today, a significant share of Europe’s logistics, industrial and commercial buildings cannot host conventional solar panels due to structural weight constraints.
Heliup addresses this limitation with ultra-light photovoltaic panels designed to be installed without reinforcing existing roof structures. The solution combines state-of-the-art silicon photovoltaic cells with a proprietary architecture originally developed through CEA research and further industrialized by Heliup.
This innovative approach enables:
- The use of already artificialized surfaces
- The avoidance of heavy and costly structural works
- Faster deployment timelines
- A reduced environmental footprint
With self-consumption expected to play a central role in the future of photovoltaics in France and across Europe, Heliup’s industrial project is fully aligned with market needs. The technology has already been industrialized and commercially validated with customers in France and beyond, positioning HELIUP among the most mature players in the emerging lightweight PV market.
Scaling up industrial capacity
The funding round is led by Supernova Invest, alongside new investors MAIF Impact, Lita Gestion and C2AD. Historical partners, including InnoEnergy, Groupe IDEC, Starquest Capital and BNP Paribas Développement, are renewing their confidence in the company. The round also includes a crowdfunding campaign via Lita, opening the capital to engaged individual investors.
After commissioning its first production unit in France and validating its technology commercially, Heliup is now entering a new phase of European expansion.
The funding will support:
- The reinforcement of European commercial teams
- The increase of production capacity at its French industrial site
- The preparation of new replicable industrial units
- Continued innovation efforts to maintain technological leadership
Accelerating Europe’s energy transition
Since 2023, InnoEnergy has supported Heliup in its growth journey, contributing strategic guidance, ecosystem access and financing to accelerate industrial scale-up.
By enabling the solarization of millions of square meters of previously unusable rooftops, Heliup is turning existing buildings into decentralized energy infrastructure, a critical step toward a more resilient and decarbonized European energy system.
“This fundraising gives us the means to accelerate Heliup’s industrial deployment at the European scale. Our ambition is clear: to finally make solar-ready the millions of square meters of rooftops currently unused and transform existing buildings into true energy infrastructure,”
said Yannick Veschetti, President of Heliup.
