Through this investment, we aim to accelerate Enfoil’s business growth, promote the global expansion of MiraNeo® products, and collaborate in innovating in the flexible solar power generation panel market to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.
To facilitate our expansion within Japan, we will also conduct a demonstration project in collaboration with the Toyo Seikan Group company Toyo Mebius Co., Ltd (”Toyo Mebius”; President: Kenji Sasayama), beginning in May 2025.
Toyo Seikan Group aims to reduce GHG emissions and realize a sustainable society through the promotion of clean energy.
Enfoil is a solar power generation panel manufacturer based in Belgium, which was spun off from TNO (Netherlands Organization for Applied Scientific Research), IMEC (Interuniversity Microelectronics Centre), and Hasselt University. The company develops CIGS-based* flexible solar power generation cells.
Enfoil has a strong advantage through its mass customization technology, which allows the production of flexible modules that are tailored to customer specifications while maintaining high productivity, positioning the company as a pioneer in next-generation solar power generation panels and attracting attention in Europe.
MiraNeo® offers excellent waterproofing and flexibility, which enhances the characteristics of Enfoil’s CIGS flexible solar panels, making them thin, light, flexible, and highly durable. This should help to accelerate market development for flexible solar power generation panels, which is a key reason for this investment.
*CIGS-based solar cells are made by combining copper, indium, gallium, and selenium. They offer higher durability than perovskite solar cells, comparable to silicon solar cells.
In Japan, the deployment of perovskite-based flexible solar power generation panels is progressing, but we hope to advance efforts to develop CIGS-based products. Starting from May 2025, we will test the GHG reduction effects of solar power generation panels that incorporate MiraNeo® products by installing them on the roofs of Toyo Mebius’s logistics trucks to generate energy. Additionally, we will begin the operation of wrapped trucks indicating that we are currently conducting a demonstration project, targeting June 2025.
Duration: From May 2025
Number of trucks: 3 (Planning to sequentially increase the number of trucks)
Target areas: Kanto, Tohoku, Chubu
Toyo Seikan Group launched MiraNeo®, which is putting up the concept “Flexible for the bright future”, as the brand of functional materials for electronic devices. One of the brand’s offerings is Ultra Moisture Barrier Film, which boasts high durability, high productivity, and waterproofing properties comparable to glass. We are advancing its application to various products, including flexible solar power generation panels.
Toyo Seikan Group will continue to promote the use of MiraNeo® brand products in various fields, driving the creation of new systems that help to solve social issues. In addition to the early implementation of MiraNeo® films in solar power generation panels, we will seek to expand into surface protection films for OLED signage and other applications. We are committed to product development and market expansion that realize a sustainable society through reduced environmental impact and to promoting a smarter society.