IPU participates as technology provider in a new EU project (under the so-called SME programme) which aims to develop new technologies to enable manufacturing of "Concentrated PhotoVoltaic cells" (CPV). This type of solar cell utilizes the newest multi-junction solar cells combined with an advanced optical system which concentrates the sunlight from an area up to 1000 times bigger than the area of the solar cell. The project is managed by the Danish company DKI Plast, and besides IPU, TWI (UK), SunFlake (DK), Kaleido Technology (DK), Plasdan (PT) and Cener (ES) participate in the project.

The CPV module will have a glass plate on the outside, and on the backside of this glass plate an array of Fresnel lenses will be moulded, which will concentrate the incoming sunlight. Normally, CPV panels consist of acrylic plates with built-in optics, but these are degraded much too quickly by UV light and sand particles. The goal is to achieve a life span of 20 years without significant reduction of efficiency. The tasks of IPU are electroforming of Fresnel lenses (i.e. replication of costly diamond-processed workpieces into nickel inserts) and development of methods for precision tooling of nickel inserts and machines for application and UV curing of polymers.