EU Resilience in high-efficiency silicon solar cells for space

The EUNICE project (EU Resilience in high-efficiency silicon solar cells for space) addresses one of the European Union’s most pressing strategic challenges: the need for non-dependent, sovereign access to high-performance photovoltaic technologies for space applications. Currently, the EU remains essentially reliant on space solar cell architectures and manufacturing processes that depend on non-EU materials, intellectual property, or infrastructure, exposing European missions to legal restrictions (e.g., ITAR/EAR), disrupted supply chains, and limited market access. This is particularly true when it comes to cost-effective and readily available devices. EUNICE aims to overcome this by establishing a fully European value chain for the design, fabrication, and qualification of silicon-based solar cells for space, leveraging existing industrial and academic excellence in the EU. The project will validate next-generation space-grade solar cell technologies based on radiation-hardened Cast-mono and EpiWafer silicon substrates, tailored high-efficiency architectures and advanced metallisation schemes compatible with harsh space environments. Targeting advanced, cost-effective and readily available devices for applications in LEO and MEO missions (e.g., telecommunications, Earth observation, GNSS), EUNICE will demonstrate performances aligned with ECSS standards, including radiation robustness, mechanical resistance, and thermal cycling. A dedicated roadmap and business plan will support long-term EU exploitation, free from foreign export control. By combining material science, photovoltaic engineering, radiation modelling and value chain analysis, EUNICE will position silicon as a viable, competitive and sustainable technology platform for European space missions, directly contributing to the EU’s strategic autonomy, sustainability goals and industrial competitiveness in the global space sector.