Solar and energy funding consultant for companies across the EU

Yes, we work with solar and energy technology companies across the EU. Without a German entity, the main routes are the EIC Accelerator and Horizon Europe, open to companies established in an EU member state or an associated country, Eurostars, in which every EU member state takes part, and the EU Innovation Fund for projects located in the EU, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein. German programmes need a German company, permanent establishment, branch or site, depending on the programme.

The EIC Accelerator, Eurostars and Horizon Europe Cluster 5, each for a different setup. The EIC Accelerator funds a single startup or SME with a breakthrough technology: a grant below €2.5M for development from TRL 6 to 8, plus optional equity of €1M to €10M. Eurostars funds an SME-led R&D project with partners from at least two countries. Cluster 5 funds consortia on set solar, storage and grid topics. Combining them works for different stages, projects or cost items, never for the same costs twice.

Yes, if it is taxable in Germany, typically through a German subsidiary or a permanent establishment. Eligibility follows German tax liability, and the tax authorities treat a foreign company with a German permanent establishment as eligible where Germany has the right to tax. The allowance is 25% of eligible R&D costs, 35% for SMEs, credited against German tax. Contract research counts only if the contractor is managed in the EU, or in an EEA state that provides administrative assistance in tax matters.

Yes, if the factory fits the current call. In the latest call, the clean-tech manufacturing topic covered facilities producing components for photovoltaics, solar thermal and energy storage, from €2.5M of capex, at up to 60% of relevant costs. Inverters are not named, so an inverter maker has to show that its product is a component of those systems. The fund pays for the plant, not the R&D before it, and topics change with each call. More on the EU Innovation Fund.

Yes, if the project fits the field Energieeffizienz, Klimaschutz und Klimaanpassung. It funds risky R&D by SMEs on technologies that raise energy efficiency or cut greenhouse gas emissions, alone or with research partners, and the climate effect has to be described and, where possible, quantified. You need a permanent establishment or branch in Germany when the grant is paid. Companies usually receive 50% of their costs, SMEs more, and the application starts with a project outline.

It depends on the programme. Under the Research Allowance, testing a prototype, including validation under conditions that represent real use, is R&D until the test phase ends. Installation and commissioning to the manufacturer's instructions, tests run only for certification or standards, and routine checks are not. Horizon Europe innovation actions can fund piloting and demonstration, the EIC Accelerator grant covers development from TRL 6 to 8, and the EU Innovation Fund has a topic for pilots.

Under the Research Allowance, yes, if it meets three conditions. Depreciation on movable assets such as deposition tools, test rigs, climate chambers and measurement equipment counts if they were acquired or produced after 27 March 2024, are used exclusively in the R&D project and are necessary for it. A pilot line that also runs production fails the exclusivity test. Low-value assets written off immediately do not count, nor do software and licences. Grant programmes apply their own cost rules to equipment.

Yes, several programmes are built for that stage. The Research Allowance is paid out even when a company makes a loss: whatever exceeds your tax bill is refunded once the tax office has set it after the financial year. That suits long validation phases, where costs come years before revenue. The EIC Accelerator accepts startups, and even founders who will set up the company before the grant agreement is signed. Founders still at a German university or research institute can start with EXIST.

Yes, and for some programmes it helps. Under the Research Allowance, contract research counts at 70% of the fee for contracts placed after 27 March 2024 (60% before), if the contractor is managed in the EU, or in an EEA state that provides administrative assistance in tax matters. KMU-innovativ funds joint projects in which universities and research institutes can receive up to 100% of their costs. Under the German Eurostars rules, universities and institutes are funded only when a German SME carries a substantial share of the R&D work.

Only in narrow cases, mainly through GRW. The programmes on this page fund technology development and manufacturing, not buying standard PV or battery systems. Under the 2026 GRW framework, a site in an eligible German region can get investment aid for renewable generation that mainly covers its own energy use, together with battery storage that is part of the same project. BAFA EEW does not fund PV power generation; it funds solar thermal for process heat and, under strict conditions, electricity storage.

For the Research Allowance our fee is purely success-based: 10% of the funding up to €500k per year and 5% above that, due only after payout. For all other programmes the fee is a fixed share plus a success component, both agreed in advance. The first eligibility check is free and comes with no obligation.