Kalpana Systems Advances Thin Film Solar Tech in Rotterdam
Kalpana Systems is advancing thin film technology for high-performance solar panels, supported by Rotterdam’s Smart Energy Systems programme.
The Netherlands is building the future of solar manufacturing, and Kalpana’s technology is at the center of it.
Two funding announcements this month point in the same direction. Kalpana Systems was awarded an Innovatiekrediet from RVO, the Netherlands Enterprise Agency, to accelerate development of its roll-to-roll spatial Atomic Layer Deposition (R2R sALD) machines. The technology applies ultra-thin functional coatings at industrial speed, making solar panels lighter, more flexible, and usable in places conventional panels can’t go.
At the same time, the Dutch cabinet confirmed €49 million in additional National Growth Fund financing for SolarNL, the national program building the next generation of flexible perovskite solar panels through roll-to-roll production. Kalpana is named as one of the core consortium partners.
Innovatiekrediet: bridging validated technology and industrial scale
RVO’s Innovatiekrediet supports Dutch companies moving innovative technology from validation toward commercial production. For Kalpana, that means funding the step from a deep-tech startup with proven sALD technology into a company building and selling industrial machines.
“Sufficient capital to invest in R&D and talent is critical at this stage,” said Kees Boshuijer, COO of Kalpana Systems. “It lets us bridge the path to commercialization, scale our production, and build a strong position in the growth markets ahead.”
SolarNL: building a Dutch ecosystem for flexible solar
SolarNL is the Netherlands’ national program to develop and industrialize next-generation solar PV technology on Dutch soil, with flexible perovskite solar panels as one of its core tracks. The program’s latest National Growth Fund allocation, confirmed this month, brings additional financing to move that work from pilot lines toward larger-scale roll-to-roll production. Kalpana’s role in the consortium centers on the coating technology that makes flexible, high-performance perovskite panels manufacturable at industrial speed.
The Netherlands has a clear ambition: building a leading position in next-generation solar technology and manufacturing. Reaching that goal takes more than breakthrough solar materials. It takes the manufacturing technology that can bring those innovations to industrial scale, and that’s where Kalpana Systems plays a critical role.
Together, these investments give Kalpana the runway to scale sALD from validated deep-tech to industrial-scale production, right as the Netherlands positions itself to build one of the first roll-to-roll production lines for flexible perovskite solar cells.
Proud to be recognized as a key technology enabler in the Netherlands’ push for a stronger, more independent PV manufacturing industry.
Read the original announcements (in Dutch) from RVO and SolarNL.
