INSTITUTION PROFILE / PEROVSKITE SOLAR CELLS
Intersolar Europe
The Munich trade show where perovskite records and new products are unveiled
Intersolar Europe is a solar exhibition and conference held once a year in Munich, Germany (in 2026, from 23 to 25 June). It does not set standards or certify efficiencies. We include it in this series nonetheless because LONGi and Oxford PV have chosen it as the place to announce perovskite records and new modules. This profile looks at one question only: how much influence Intersolar Europe actually has over perovskite solar cells.
What this article covers
- Intersolar Europe in 30 seconds
- What kind of body it is: the four types of influence
- What it does for perovskite solar cells
- How far its influence reaches (powers and geography)
- The companies and organisations involved
- Outlook
- Glossary, references and claim-to-source audit
1. Intersolar Europe in 30 seconds
FULL NAMEIntersolar EuropeOne of the four exhibitions that make up The smarter E Europe
COUNTRYGermanyHeld at the Messe München exhibition centre and the ICM conference centre
TYPE OF BODYInternational exhibition and conferenceOrganised by Solar Promotion GmbH (Pforzheim) and FWTM (Freiburg)
ESTABLISHEDMore than 30 years agoAs stated on the official website, which gives no founding year
SCALE2,650 exhibitors and about 105,000 visitorsThe smarter E Europe as a whole in 2026. Exhibitors came from 52 countries and visitors from 163
CONFERENCE SCALEMore than 3,000 participants2026. Four specialist conferences plus side events combined
ROLE IN PEROVSKITE SOLAR CELLSA venue for announcements, exhibits and businessNo power over standards, certification or subsidies
REACHMore than 66% of exhibitors from outside GermanyHeld in Germany, but a stage where companies from around the world present to European buyers
The one thing to grasp first
Intersolar Europe's influence lies in being the place companies choose for their announcements. On the opening day of the 2023 show, LONGi announced 33.5% for a perovskite-silicon tandem cell, and in 2024 it announced 30.1% on an M6-size wafer, both at the venue Sourced. On the other hand, no perovskite product was among the winners in the photovoltaics category of The smarter E AWARD from 2024 to 2026 Our calculation. In other words, for perovskites Intersolar Europe is less a place to win prizes than a place to show off records and new products.
2. What kind of body it is: the four types of influence
Unlike the companies in this series, none of the institutions that appear in perovskite solar cell coverage makes solar cells. What separates them is the route by which they influence the industry, and that gives four types.
3. What it does for perovskite solar cells
Intersolar Europe itself neither researches nor certifies. Its connection with perovskites runs through four venues: the exhibition, the conference, the awards and companies' announcements Sourced.
| Venue | What it involves | Link to perovskites |
|---|---|---|
| Exhibition | Exhibition segments include solar cells, crystalline modules and thin-film modules, as well as "PV production technologies", which covers manufacturing equipment for cells, modules and thin films, materials and components, and measurement technology. Exhibitors include R&D institutions and certification bodies | There is no segment dedicated to perovskites; they are exhibited under the cell, module, manufacturing equipment and materials segments |
| Intersolar Europe Conference | Covers markets, technologies and financing. Held on 22 and 23 June in 2026 and scheduled for 7 and 8 June in 2027 | We could not confirm from the official website how perovskites were covered at the 2026 conference |
| The smarter E AWARD | Five categories: photovoltaics, energy storage, e-mobility, smart integrated energy and outstanding projects. Open to exhibitors at the organisers' sister events around the world | The 2023 winner Wavelabs (then the Intersolar AWARD) was presented as having a measuring system that can also analyse perovskite-silicon tandems |
| A stage for company and research announcements | Companies and research institutions time new records and products to the show and exhibit them | LONGi's record announcements (2023 and 2024), Oxford PV's first appearance as an exhibitor (2024), and the first public showing of a new module from Oxford PV and Fraunhofer ISE (2026) |
A materials engineer's view: how to read announcements at a trade show
With any figure announced at a trade show, always check who certified it. LONGi itself states that its 33.5% was certified by ESTI (the European Solar Test Installation) and its 30.1% by Fraunhofer ISE Sourced. A trade show is not where figures are certified; it is where already certified figures are shown to a gathering of buyers and competitors. How certification works is covered in our profiles of NLR (formerly NREL) and Fraunhofer ISE, and in our explainer on conversion efficiency and evaluation metrics.
4. How far its influence reaches (powers and geography)
| Aspect | What Intersolar Europe has | What it does not have |
|---|---|---|
| Powers | Running the exhibition, the conference programme and the awards. The smarter E AWARD winners are chosen by a jury | Power over standards, efficiency certification, regulation or subsidies |
| Geography | Held in Germany. In 2026 more than 66% of exhibitors came from abroad and visitors from 163 countries. The same organisers run Intersolar events in India, North America, South America, the Middle East, Africa and elsewhere | Direct influence on companies that do not exhibit, or on markets whose buyers do not attend |
| Influence on perovskites | The pull to attract the timing and venue of announcements of records and new products | Any power to steer perovskite R&D or mass production |
| Scale | 2,650 exhibitors and about 105,000 visitors (The smarter E Europe as a whole, 2026) | Figures for Intersolar Europe alone, or the number of perovskite-related exhibitors, have not been published |
A note on reading the numbers
The 2,650 exhibitors and about 105,000 visitors are the combined total for four exhibitions: Intersolar Europe, ees Europe (energy storage), Power2Drive Europe (EV charging) and EM-Power Europe (energy management) Sourced. Exhibitor and visitor numbers for solar alone, let alone perovskites alone, have not been published Not yet confirmed.
5. The companies and organisations involved
Links to the company profiles in this series
| Company | Link to Intersolar Europe (as stated in primary sources) | Link to this series |
|---|---|---|
| LONGi | On 14 June 2023, the show's opening day, announced at the venue 33.5% for a tandem cell on commercial CZ silicon wafers (certified by ESTI). On 19 June 2024, announced at the venue 30.1% for a tandem cell on an M6-size wafer (certified by Fraunhofer ISE) | See our LONGi profile |
| Oxford PV | Exhibited for the first time in 2024, and on the same day, 19 June, announced a 60-cell module with 26.9% efficiency (certified by Fraunhofer CalLab). In 2026, the matrix-shingled module (25.6% efficiency) developed with Fraunhofer ISE was shown for the first time on the Fraunhofer ISE and Oxford PV stands | See our Oxford PV profile |
6. Outlook
| What the evidence suggests | Primary information it rests on | Category |
|---|---|---|
| The focus of perovskite exhibits will shift from announcing records to selling rooftop and utility-scale products | Oxford PV framed its 2024 appearance as coming "ahead of first commercial product shipments", and in 2026 two module types were shown, one for rooftops and one bifacial module for ground-mounted systems | Inference |
| Perovskite products will only start winning awards once they are exhibited as mass-produced goods | The photovoltaics category winners in 2024 to 2026 were mainly products and systems already on the market, such as building-integrated roofing, installation automation, inverters and design software | Inference |
| The next stage for announcements will be the show on 8 to 10 June 2027 | The official website has published the 2027 dates. Whether any records are announced there is up to each company and is not yet known | Inference |
7. Glossary
- The smarter E Europe
- The umbrella name for four exhibitions and their conferences: Intersolar Europe, ees Europe, Power2Drive Europe and EM-Power Europe.
- The smarter E AWARD
- An industry prize announced on the eve of The smarter E Europe. It has five categories, including photovoltaics, with three winners in each.
- ESTI
- The European Solar Test Installation, one of the bodies that certify efficiency.
- M6
- One of the standard names for silicon wafer sizes. Unlike small research cells, it is a size used in mass production.
8. References
- Intersolar Europe Legal Notice: organised by Solar Promotion GmbH (Pforzheim) and Freiburg Wirtschaft Touristik und Messe GmbH & Co. KG. https://www.intersolar.de/legal-notice
- Intersolar Europe Exhibition Quick Facts: more than 30 years of history, part of The smarter E Europe, 8 to 10 June 2027, and R&D institutions and certification bodies among exhibitor types. https://www.intersolar.de/exhibition-quick-facts
- Intersolar Europe Exhibition Segments: segments for solar cells, crystalline and thin-film modules, and PV production technologies. https://www.intersolar.de/exhibition-segments
- Intersolar Europe Conference Quick Facts: conference content, 7 and 8 June 2027, ICM. https://www.intersolar.de/conference-quick-facts
- Intersolar Europe Press release, "Fossil Fuels Are a Thing of the Past; The Future Is Renewable: The Smarter E Europe Concludes With a Clear Message" (25 June 2026): 2,650 exhibitors from 52 countries, more than 66% from abroad, about 105,000 visitors from 163 countries, and more than 3,000 conference participants. https://www.intersolar.de/press-release/post-show
- Intersolar Europe Global Events: list of Intersolar events the organisers run around the world. https://www.intersolar.de/global-events
- Intersolar Europe The smarter E AWARD: five categories, open to exhibitors at sister events worldwide. https://www.intersolar.de/for-exhibitors/awards
- Intersolar Europe Press release, "The smarter E AWARD 2026: Clever, Bold, Visionary – The Winners Have Been Chosen" (22 June 2026): show dates of 23 to 25 June, three winners per category, selection by a jury. https://www.intersolar.de/press-release/award-winners-2026
- Intersolar Europe Press release announcing the winners of The smarter E AWARD 2025. https://www.intersolar.de/press-release/award-winners-2025
- Intersolar Europe Press release announcing the winners of The smarter E AWARD 2024 (the first time it was presented in five categories). https://www.intersolar.de/press-release/award-winners-2024
- Intersolar Europe Press release, "Intersolar AWARD 2023: Innovative Solar Technologies Honored" (13 June 2023): Wavelabs' SINUS-360 ADVANCED can also measure perovskite-silicon tandems. https://www.intersolar.de/news/intersolar-award-2023-innovative-solar-technologies-honored
- LONGi News release, "LONGi announces new conversion efficiency of 33.5% for its silicon-perovskite tandem solar cells at Intersolar Europe 2023" (14 June 2023): certified by ESTI. https://www.longi.com/en/news/new-conversion-efficiency/
- LONGi News release, "LONGi announces the new world record efficiency of 30.1% for the commercial M6 size wafer-level silicon-perovskite tandem solar cells" (19 June 2024): announced at Intersolar Europe 2024, certified by Fraunhofer ISE. https://www.longi.com/en/news/is-m6-wafer-silicon-perovskite-tandem-cells-new-efficiency-record/
- Oxford PV Press release, "Oxford PV debuts residential solar module with record-setting 26.9% efficiency" (19 June 2024): exhibiting at Intersolar Europe 2024. https://www.oxfordpv.com/press-releases/oxford-pv-solar-sustainability-initiative
- Oxford PV Press release, "Oxford PV to bring its state-of-the-art tandem PV panels to Intersolar Europe 2024" (29 May 2024): its first time exhibiting, ahead of first commercial shipments. https://www.oxfordpv.com/press-releases/oxford-pv-solar-technology-award
- Fraunhofer ISE Press release, "Perovskite-silicon solar cells meet matrix shingled interconnection" (18 June 2026): first shown at The smarter E / Intersolar, rooftop and bifacial ground-mounted versions. https://www.ise.fraunhofer.de/en/press-media/press-releases/2026/perovskite-silicon-solar-cells-meet-matrix-shingled-interconnection.html
9. Claim-to-source audit
| Claim in the article | Category | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Organised by Solar Promotion GmbH and FWTM | Sourced | Reference 1 https://www.intersolar.de/legal-notice |
| More than 30 years of history, part of The smarter E Europe, venue, 2027 dates, types of exhibitor | Sourced | Reference 2 https://www.intersolar.de/exhibition-quick-facts |
| Exhibition segments (solar cells, crystalline and thin-film modules, PV production technologies) | Sourced | Reference 3 https://www.intersolar.de/exhibition-segments |
| Conference content, 2027 dates and the ICM venue | Sourced | Reference 4 https://www.intersolar.de/conference-quick-facts |
| 2,650 exhibitors from 52 countries in 2026, more than 66% from abroad, about 105,000 visitors from 163 countries, more than 3,000 conference participants, the figures being a four-exhibition total, and the 2026 conference dates | Sourced | Reference 5 https://www.intersolar.de/press-release/post-show |
| The organisers run Intersolar events around the world | Sourced | Reference 6 https://www.intersolar.de/global-events |
| The smarter E AWARD's five categories and eligibility | Sourced | Reference 7 https://www.intersolar.de/for-exhibitors/awards |
| 2026 show dates, three winners per category, selection by a jury, photovoltaics category winners | Sourced | Reference 8 https://www.intersolar.de/press-release/award-winners-2026 |
| 2025 photovoltaics category winners | Sourced | Reference 9 https://www.intersolar.de/press-release/award-winners-2025 |
| 2024 photovoltaics category winners | Sourced | Reference 10 https://www.intersolar.de/press-release/award-winners-2024 |
| Wavelabs' 2023 award, and its ability to measure tandems | Sourced | Reference 11 https://www.intersolar.de/news/intersolar-award-2023-innovative-solar-technologies-honored |
| No perovskite product among the photovoltaics category winners in 2024 to 2026 | Our calculation | Our own review of the winner descriptions in references 8 to 10 |
| LONGi announced 33.5% at the 2023 show, certified by ESTI | Sourced | Reference 12 https://www.longi.com/en/news/new-conversion-efficiency/ |
| LONGi announced 30.1% on an M6-size wafer at the 2024 show, certified by Fraunhofer ISE | Sourced | Reference 13 https://www.longi.com/en/news/is-m6-wafer-silicon-perovskite-tandem-cells-new-efficiency-record/ |
| Oxford PV exhibited for the first time in 2024, framing it as ahead of first commercial shipments | Sourced | Reference 15 https://www.oxfordpv.com/press-releases/oxford-pv-solar-technology-award |
| Oxford PV's 2024 exhibit and its 26.9% module, certified by Fraunhofer CalLab | Sourced | Reference 14 https://www.oxfordpv.com/press-releases/oxford-pv-solar-sustainability-initiative |
| The Oxford PV and Fraunhofer ISE module (25.6%) first shown at Intersolar in 2026, in rooftop and ground-mounted versions | Sourced | Reference 16 https://www.ise.fraunhofer.de/en/press-media/press-releases/2026/perovskite-silicon-solar-cells-meet-matrix-shingled-interconnection.html |
| The four types of institution and Intersolar Europe's place among them | Our calculation | Our own classification |
| How perovskites were covered at the 2026 conference, and the number of perovskite-related exhibitors | Not yet confirmed | Not stated in references 2 to 5; this article does not estimate them |
| The three points in the outlook (section 6) | Inference | This article's reading of references 2, 8 to 10 and 14 to 16 |
Last updated 25 September 2026 / Troy Technical
All figures come from Intersolar Europe's official website and press releases, and from official announcements by exhibitors and research institutions. Items marked "Inference" are this article's reading of the primary information, not statements by Intersolar Europe or its organisers.