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Bridging innovation and regulation with HEPAFLEX’s perovskite technology
15 September 2026 | Online webinar | Organised by LOMARTOV
Download the full report: Bridging innovation and regulation with HEPAFLEX’s perovskite technology (PDF).
1. Introduction
On 15 September 2026, LOMARTOV organised the second HEPAFLEX webinar, connecting the project’s technical advances with regulatory readiness, environmental performance and circular business models. Building on the first webinar held in January 2026, the event examined how flexible photovoltaic technologies could progress towards market uptake. A central conclusion was that manufacturing innovation must be supported by evidence on durability, safety and life-cycle performance, alongside practical collection and end-of-life treatment arrangements.
2. Audience and objectives
The webinar addressed researchers, technology developers, industry representatives and stakeholders interested in photovoltaic innovation, sustainability and regulation. It presented HEPAFLEX research across environmental performance, production, legislation and exploitation, and explored market readiness, future business cases, regulatory alignment and stakeholder engagement.
3. Regulatory readiness and market entry
LOMARTOV presented the project’s mapping of legislation, standards and certification pathways. A screening of more than 4,300 standards identified 57 potentially useful standards and six potential certification schemes, while highlighting the lack of standards designed specifically for perovskite photovoltaics and the limited suitability of some existing testing approaches.
HEPAFLEX can contribute experimental evidence for future standardisation, particularly in testing, production and end-of-life management. Market uptake will also depend on competitiveness, transparent product information, life-cycle assessments, costs and preparation for possible digital product passports.
4. Faster processing compatible with flexible substrates
EPFL presented flash infrared annealing (FIRA), which replaces a conventional thermal treatment lasting approximately 10–60 minutes with a light pulse lasting less than one second. Selective heating limits the substrate’s thermal exposure and can eliminate an anti-solvent step. Computer-vision analysis of grain formation offers a potential tool for monitoring film morphology and processing.
The laboratory devices discussed achieved efficiencies around 20% and, using the TEMPO additive, retained more than 90% of initial power after 4,000 hours of maximum-power-point tracking at 35 °C under dry conditions. These laboratory results should not be confused with the flexible devices, for which efficiencies of around 10% were reported and further integration is required. Industrial implementation and net environmental benefits remain to be demonstrated.
5. Environmental performance and safer material choices
Universitat Jaume I discussed Safe and Sustainable by Design screening, material criticality and life-cycle inventories. Hazard screening can inform substitution, redesign and exposure control, while encapsulation and other safeguards remain relevant where potentially hazardous materials cannot yet be replaced.
A case study compared a conventional DMA-based processing route with a nickel-acetate-based approach that avoids several solvents and additives and lowers processing energy. The assessed climate-change impact decreased by approximately 70% for the production of one square centimetre of absorber layer. This is not a whole-module result and should not be extended to electricity generated over a module’s lifetime. Other trade-offs remain, including mineral-resource impacts and lead-related toxicity.
6. Circular business models and digital traceability
GE4A proposed that product identification and traceability be built in from manufacturing, linking information on composition, ownership, performance and end-of-life treatment. This information could help with maintenance, sorting, reuse and recycling. Deposit-return incentives and revenues from data services or printable surfaces were discussed as possible business models, rather than existing HEPAFLEX features.
Participants questioned whether recoverable materials from lightweight perovskite modules alone would provide sufficient economic incentive for collection and treatment. Credible take-back arrangements, clear responsibilities and reliable management of lead-containing materials will therefore be crucial.
7. Cross-cutting findings and conclusions
Recycling does not automatically produce a net environmental benefit: energy use, chemicals, recovery performance and cost must be evaluated together. Likewise, flexible polymer substrates may reduce manufacturing impacts, but a shorter lifetime or lower efficiency could offset the savings over a product’s use phase. Recycled plastic substrates remain a development opportunity, and recycled content alone does not demonstrate a negative carbon footprint.
The discussion also highlighted the need to communicate technical product information clearly to different audiences. Industrial stakeholders may need detailed composition and traceability data, while consumers need understandable information about safety, maintenance, affordability and return options.
Overall, the webinar identified three connected priorities: demonstrate reliable flexible devices at larger scale; substantiate sustainability and cost claims over the full life cycle; and develop practical traceability and take-back models. The conclusions will inform HEPAFLEX’s ongoing work on regulatory readiness, sustainability, exploitation and communication.
Programme
11:30–11:40 — Welcome and introduction (Mihaela Mirea, LOMARTOV).
11:40–12:40 — HEPAFLEX innovation results: regulatory and technical challenges (Ignacio Zurano, LOMARTOV); flash infrared annealing (Sandy Sánchez, EPFL); sustainable solar cells (Rosario Vidal, UJI); digital circular economy (Toralf Nitsch, GE4A).
12:40–13:20 — Moderated roundtable discussion and audience Q&A.
13:20–13:30 — Closing remarks and next steps.
Source: HEPAFLEX, Bridging innovation and regulation with HEPAFLEX’s perovskite technology — webinar report, 15 September 2026.
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