Brabant Sets Course For Flexible Perovskite Factory With Sekisui Deal

• Sekisui Solar Film, TNO and BOM ink an Osaka letter of intent to study a roll-to-roll perovskite module plant in Brabant, strengthening Europe’s solar supply chain.

A cross-continental alliance between Japan’s Sekisui Solar Film Co, Dutch research institute TNO and the Brabant Development Agency (BOM) could soon give Europe its first large-scale source of lightweight, flexible perovskite modules. The three parties signed a letter of intent on 21 May in Osaka, opening formal talks on siting a roll-to-roll factory in the southern Dutch province of Noord-Brabant.

The partners say the proposed plant would unlock a new chapter for perovskite technology, whose ultra-thin cells can be laminated onto curved façades, lightweight roofs and other surfaces unsuited to glass-framed silicon panels. Beyond the climate upside, the venture is pitched as a strategic move to “strengthen Europe’s energy independence and position the Netherlands at the forefront of the continent’s solar industry,” the companies said in a joint statement.

TNO chief executive Tjark Tjin-A-Tsoi called the LOI “an important step toward tighter synergy between Dutch and Japanese programmes” and a chance to anchor advanced manufacturing jobs in the region. BOM Trade & Invest director Daan de Cloe added that combining Sekisui’s roll-to-roll expertise with Brabant’s emerging perovskite ecosystem could secure a “leading global position” for both sides. Sekisui’s technology chief Takehura Morita said the company is “looking forward to a fruitful cooperation with the Dutch/Brabant network.”

The Dutch plan dovetails with Sekisui’s own roadmap: the chemical giant is already building a 100-MW flexible perovskite line in Sakai, Japan, slated to start mass production by 2027. Marrying that know-how with Europe’s fast-growing demand for building-integrated photovoltaics would give the consortium a springboard into continental markets.

No capacity figure has been disclosed for the Brabant plant, but industry sources suggest an output of 50–100 MW a year in its first phase, rising as the technology matures. Over the next six months the parties will map potential sites—Brainport Eindhoven and the Moerdijk industrial zone top the shortlist—and draft a feasibility study covering power, clean-room and skilled-labour needs. A final investment decision is expected in early 2026, leaving open the possibility of shipments before the decade’s end.