Novel inverter technologies and flexibility in PV systems (EUPI-PV Partnership)
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Novel inverter technologies and flexibility in PV systems (EUPI-PV Partnership)
Call Snapshot
- Call Identifier: HORIZON-CL5-2025-02-D3-11
- Programme / Cluster: Horizon Europe – Cluster 5 (Climate, Energy and Mobility)
- Type of Action: Innovation Action (IA) – Lump-sum Grant
- Max. EU Contribution: €69 000 000 (expected EU funding envelope per project)
- Submission Scheme: Single-stage
- Opening Date: 06 May 2025
- Deadline: 02 September 2025 – 17:00 Brussels time
Policy Context
This topic underpins the co-programmed European Partnership for Innovation in Photovoltaics (EUPI-PV) and directly supports the *Solar Energy Joint Research & Innovation Agenda* within the European Research Area. It seeks disruptive smart inverter solutions enabling high-penetration PV with advanced grid services (synthetic inertia, voltage/frequency regulation, ride-through, etc.).
Scope Highlights
1. Next-gen power converters – wide-bandgap devices (GaN/SiC), higher power density, medium-voltage compatibility, lower €/kW.
2. Embedded intelligence – condition & health monitoring, digital twins, predictive maintenance.
3. EMC/EMI compliance – mitigation techniques, alignment with evolving standards.
4. Control & PHIL testing – multi-inverter interaction at multiple PCCs.
5. Integrated communications – auto-tagging of component metadata, interoperable data models.
6. Cybersecurity & recyclability – end-to-end security-by-design, circularity guidance.
Expected Outcomes
- ≥ 10 % PV energy-yield increase via smart digitalisation.
- Documented flexibility services portfolio (synthetic inertia, fast frequency response, etc.).
- Validated interoperability framework and contribution to standards.
- KPI reporting to the EUPI-PV partnership.
Funding Particularities
- Lump-sum: the proposal must include a detailed cost estimate, but payments will be based on milestone/output delivery rather than actual costs.
- TRL progression: Starting ≥ TRL 5 and achieving TRL 7-8 at project end is expected.
- Consortium profile: industrial inverter manufacturers, semiconductor suppliers, DSO/TSO, PV farm operators, cybersecurity experts, EMC labs, and leading RTOs/universities from at least three different Member States/Associated Countries.
📊 At a Glance
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🇪🇺 Strategic Advantages
EU-Wide Advantages & Opportunities for HORIZON-CL5-2025-02-D3-11
1. Single Market Access
• Reach >450 million consumers through one harmonised internal electricity market (IEM).
• Novel smart-inverter solutions that satisfy EU grid-code requirements (RfG, NC-DCC, NC-RFG) can be commercialised once and deployed across all 27 Member States without country-specific redesign.
• Medium-voltage PV inverters that pass CE-conformity open doors to public procurement channels (e.g. joint cross-border tenders under the Clean Energy Package) and to growing prosumer/energy-community segments in all EU regions.
2. Cross-Border Collaboration & Knowledge Exchange
• Consortiums can tap excellence from wide-bandgap semiconductor clusters (e.g. Dresden/Chemnitz-DE, Leuven-BE, Catania-IT), cybersecurity hubs (Tallinn-EE, Grenoble-FR) and digital-twin competence centres (Espoo-FI, Valencia-ES).
• Hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) test beds can be shared under ECCSEL & DERlab networks, lowering CAPEX for validation.
• The EUPI-PV Partnership provides a ready-made platform for collective KPI monitoring and best-practice dissemination to >120 affiliated organisations in 23 countries.
3. Alignment with Core EU Policies
• Direct contribution to the European Green Deal and REPowerEU target of 750 GW of solar by 2030 through higher PV yield and grid-support services.
• Supports Digital Europe & twin transition goals by embedding IoT sensors, digital twins, AI predictive maintenance and cyber-secure firmware.
• Addresses Fit-for-55 obligations for flexibility and grid resilience, enabling DSOs to host >70 % variable RES share by 2030.
4. Regulatory Harmonisation Benefits
• Early involvement in CENELEC/ETSI standardisation (EN 50549-2, EN IEC 62109) accelerates time-to-market and creates first-mover IP positions.
• EU-wide Cyber-resilience Act & upcoming Network-Code on Demand-Side Flexibility create a predictable compliance pathway; funded projects can co-shape delegated acts through the partnership’s Strategic Research & Innovation Agenda (SRIA).
5. Access to EU Innovation Ecosystem
• Leverage joint research infrastructures: European Solar Test Installation (ESTI), JRC Smart Grids Lab, Fraunhofer ISE PV-TEC, IMEC GaN pilot lines.
• Talent pool: recruit ESRs & post-docs via Marie Skłodowska-Curie COFUND, ensuring long-term know-how retention.
6. Funding Synergies
• Combine lump-sum IA with:
• Connecting Europe Facility (CEF-Energy) for cross-border grid integration pilots.
• LIFE Clean Energy Transition for market-uptake and training packages.
• InvestEU & EIB Green Loans for first-of-a-kind commercial deployment.
• Regional co-funding (ERDF, Just Transition Mechanism) can scale pilot lines in coal-transition regions (e.g. PL, BG).
7. EU-Wide Scale & Impact Potential
• Standardised smart-inverter architecture enables gigawatt-scale roll-out in national recovery plans (e.g. Italy’s “Parco Agrisolare”, France’s “Plan Solaire 2030”).
• Flexibility services (synthetic inertia, dynamic voltage support) create new revenue streams in EU balancing markets (EBGL compliant), increasing project bankability.
• Contribution to EU target of 500 GW of distributed storage by 2050 through seamless PV-battery-EV interoperability.
8. Strategic Value of Acting at EU Level
• Fragmented national efforts cannot alone develop the critical mass for wide-bandgap semiconductor supply chains; an EU-spanning consortium mitigates supply-risk and secures strategic autonomy.
• Joint cyber-security certification (pending European Cyber-Certification Framework) reduces duplication and enhances trust among DSOs/TSOs.
• Pan-European datasets from multiple climatic zones feed robust AI models, improving predictive O&M accuracy versus single-country pilots.
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Bottom Line: Participating in HORIZON-CL5-2025-02-D3-11 through the EUPI-PV Partnership offers an unparalleled platform to design, validate and commercialise next-generation smart inverters at EU scale, leveraging harmonised regulations, vast consumer markets and multilayer funding to accelerate Europe’s solar-powered, digitally-enabled energy transition.
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See in 5 min if you're eligible for Novel inverter technologies and flexibility in PV systems (EUPI-PV Partnership) offering max €69.0M funding