OREANDA-NEWS. Through its venture capital fund ENGIE New Ventures, ENGIE has taken a 6.6% equity stake in Heliatek, the German industrial startup specialized in the manufacture of organic photovoltaic film in order to develop innovative decentralized energy production solutions. 

In conjunction with the startup’s €80 million fundraising exercise, ENGIE chose to invest in Heliatek to support the development of organic photovoltaics (OPV). It decided upon the investment based on an in-depth analysis of Heliatek products by ENGIE Research Center and a pilot project undertaken by ENGIE Research Laboratory. 

ENGIE is particularly interested in Heliatek’s integration of photovoltaic solar film for buildings. This technology matches ENGIE’s ambition to become an “energy architect” for buildings and to contribute to growing clients demand for buildings with zero CO₂ emissions and zero energy consumption. 

“Technologies developed by Heliatek hold tremendous promise; they open up a broad range of solar solutions that may be utilized at different levels and via various applications, from buildings to automobiles to textiles, for example. Totally committed as we are to solar energy development, we are most pleased to support this innovative startup and thus contribute to great strides being made in the world through photovoltaics,” emphasized Isabelle Kocher, CEO of ENGIE. 

As French solar industry leader, with a gross installed capacity of 600 MW, ENGIE has recently strengthened its position in the sector abroad by winning tenders in India, Chile and Mexico. The Group has a 2 GW portfolio of solar projects today and is looking to expand its positions, particularly through innovative, decentralized production solutions. 

About ENGIE

ENGIE develops its businesses (power, natural gas, energy services) around a model based on responsible growth to take on the major challenges of energy’s transition to a low-carbon economy: access to sustainable energy, climate-change mitigation and adaptation and the rational use of resources. The Group provides individuals, cities and businesses with highly efficient and innovative solutions largely based on its expertise in four key sectors: renewable energy, energy efficiency, liquefied natural gas and digital technology. ENGIE employs 154,950 people worldwide and achieved revenues of € 69.9 billion in 2015. The Group is listed on the Paris and Brussels stock exchanges (ENGI) and is represented in the main international indices: CAC 40, BEL 20, DJ Euro Stoxx 50, Euronext 100, FTSE Eurotop 100, MSCI Europe, DJSI World, DJSI Europe and Euronext Vigeo (Eurozone 120, Europe 120 and France 20).