PV SMART i4.0

The goal of the PV SMART i4.0 project is to streamline the Integrated PV (IPV) value chain using Smart Manufacturing, Automation, and Industry 4.0 so that IPV products become cheaper to produce and install, supporting sector growth and a greener InterReg Euro-Meuse‑Rhine (EMR) region.

Net congestion in the area makes this development urgent, as the current IPV chain is highly labor‑intensive, costly, and difficult to maintain in Europe. Achieving the goal requires cross‑border cooperation among partners with expertise in hardware, sensors, vision systems, quality control, algorithms, software, and system integration, most of them SMEs active in the region. Today, IPV products still rely on many manual steps for each custom request, but this project is the first to address all of these steps in an integrated way. The result will be a faster, smarter, and more efficient IPV chain, enabling new markets such as PV balconies, solar pathways, and solar noise barriers. Ultimately, the benefits will reach end‑users, integrators, manufacturers, material suppliers, SME technology providers, and even grid operators and public agencies through reduced congestion and broader access to affordable IPV solutions.