The future of building materials is being tested today.

Every façade, canopy, and noise barrier in our cities could be generating energy if the materials themselves evolve beyond their traditional role. That transformation is now underway.

SOLTECH, together with UHasselt, imec, and EnergyVille, has launched a 55-are outdoor test field at Thor Park in Stad Genk. It's a controlled environment purpose-built to validate the next generation of building-integrated photovoltaics.

This isn't about conventional solar panels.

It's about testing materials where the solar cell is the façade, the canopy, the noise barrier, the cladding. Materials that perform in real climates, over decades, under real-world conditions.

Why this matters for architects and developers:

The test field lets us validate integrated PV technologies faster, without permitting delays, in a setting that's both controlled and realistic. We measure long-term durability, energy performance, and structural behavior using advanced monitoring: electroluminescence imaging, infrared thermography, meteorological tracking.

For design professionals, this translates to reliable performance data, new material freedoms, and the confidence to specify integrated photovoltaics at scale.

As our CEO Bas van de Kreeke says: "Innovations that emerge from the labs and products we build in our factory can now be tested and refined immediately, in real conditions. That changes everything."

The test field is part of the IN2PV investment project, made possible with support from the European Fund for Regional Development (EFRO). It strengthens Belgium's position in climate-responsive material innovation and pushes the boundaries of what building surfaces can do.

Our thanks to everyone who made this possible: Annelies Gorissen, Tom Vandeput, Wim Dries, Michaël Daenen, Marlies Van Bael, Noël Slangen, Anniek Nagels and Bram De Wispelaere.

More surfaces can do more.