Szoláris

Szoláris is an international research program and demonstration platform dedicated to advancing solar energy technologies and their integration into energy systems. Based in Europe, it coordinates academic, industrial, and governmental partners to develop and validate solutions across generation, storage, and grid management. The name derives from the Hungarian szoláris, meaning solar, chosen to reflect the program's origin and focus.

Szoláris was established in 2022 by a consortium of universities and energy companies, with support from European Union funding programs. It established a central demonstration campus in Hungary and networked test sites across several member states to compare technologies under real-world conditions.

Governance rests with a steering council including representatives from academia, industry, and policy. Activities include collaborative research projects, standardized testing protocols, and open data sharing via a common platform. Participants publish results in peer-reviewed journals and contribute to policy guidelines on solar deployment and storage.

Key focus areas include high-efficiency photovoltaic cells, including silicon and perovskite tandems; solar thermal collectors and thermal storage; hybrid storage solutions combining batteries and thermal storage; grid integration and demand-response using AI; and solar desalination and building-integrated photovoltaics.

Szoláris aims to accelerate deployment of solar energy and to reduce levelized costs of electricity, while informing European energy policy and industry standards. It has helped advance demonstration projects and fostered cross-border collaboration.