French manufacturer Heliup have been crowned the Gold European Solar Startup Award 2025 winner for it’s pioneering range of stykon solar PV panels for flat rooftops. Their panels are lightweight, weighing just 5 kg/m2, have an efficiency of 20%, are resistant to extreme weather conditions, are made in Europe and have an easy and fast installation process.
At SolarPower Europe’s annual SolarPower Summit, French panel manufacturer Heliup received the Gold European Solar Startup Award 2025 for its innovative, lightweight and high-performance rooftop PV modules.
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Yannick Veschetti, president and co-founder of Heliup, presented the company’s pitch alongside his co-finalists. Attendees voted on their favourite projects, and following a final vote, Heliup emerged victorious.
In his presentation, Veschetti highlighted that there are currently over 4 billion m² of available large rooftop space in the EU, and how Heliup aims to harness this potential to fast-track solar installations across Europe.
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“We are honoured to receive the Gold European Solar Startup Award. This recognition highlights Heliup’s commitment to revolutionising solar energy with lightweight solutions manufactured in Europe that unlock the potential of commercial and industrial rooftops,” said Yannick Veschetti.
Strengthen Europe’s competitiveness
“At SolarPower Europe, we’ve always believed in the importance of supporting the brightest solar startups. Only with these forward-thinking innovators can we strengthen Europe’s competitiveness and guarantee a swift energy transition. Innovative solar startups like Heliup will be critical to the future growth of the solar sector, and shaping our solar-powered future,” said Walburga Hemetsberger, CEO of SolarPower Europe.
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Three Solar Startup finalists were nominated by the expert panel following a successful online pitch. Alongside Heliup Gautier Moulin, Co-founder and Chief Operating Officer at Aevy, and Felix Heimke, Senior Product Manager at Suena, presented their work on stage at the SolarPower Summit 2025.
The European Solar Startup Award 2025 jury panel comprised Jenny Chase, solar analyst at BloombergNEF; Stefan Müeller, co-founder, shareholder and board member at Enerparc AG; Felix Krause, managing partner at Vireo Ventures; and Michael Schmela, director of market intelligence at SolarPower Europe. (hcn)