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Key people at Airlight Energy.
Based in Biasca, Switzerland, Airlight Energy was a renewable energy company that developed concentrated solar power and thermal energy storage systems. The organization utilized pneumatically inflated polymer foils and fiber-reinforced concrete to replace traditional glass mirrors and steel in utility-scale power generation facilities. Supported by a three-year grant from the Swiss Commission for Technology and Innovation, the company collaborated with IBM Research, ETH Zurich, and Interstate University of Applied Sciences Buchs NTB to develop High Concentration PhotoVoltaic Thermal systems. At its operational peak, the enterprise employed approximately 50 to 80 people and established a spinoff entity named Dsolar to license its proprietary hot-water chip cooling technology globally. Following severe financial difficulties in the renewable energy sector, the business entered formal bankruptcy and liquidation proceedings in 2016. Airlight Energy was founded in 2007 by Andrea Pedretti.
Key people at Airlight Energy.
Airlight Energy is a Swiss clean technology company focused on concentrated solar power (CSP), concentrated photovoltaics (CPV), and integrated energy storage solutions. Founded in 2007 and based in Biasca, Ticino, the company develops proprietary solar collectors and systems for large-scale electricity and thermal energy generation, targeting utility-scale and industrial applications. Its core offering includes innovative concentrating solar systems—such as parabolic troughs and dish-based high-concentration photovoltaic thermal (HCPVT) systems—combined with low-cost thermal and compressed-air energy storage (AA-CAES), enabling dispatchable solar power.
Airlight Energy serves markets seeking cost-competitive, scalable solar solutions with built-in storage, particularly in regions with high solar irradiation. The company’s technology aims to reduce reliance on fossil fuels by providing solar-generated electricity and heat with minimal environmental impact. While it has not raised significant later-stage capital beyond an early seed round, its work with IBM Research, ETH Zurich, and engineering partners has positioned it as a niche innovator in advanced solar concentration and hybrid CSP/CPV systems.
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Airlight Energy was founded in 2007 as a private Swiss company headquartered in Biasca, in the canton of Ticino. The company emerged from a unique cross-disciplinary perspective that combined deep expertise in civil and structural engineering with solar energy system design—a departure from traditional solar technology approaches. This engineering-first mindset allowed Airlight to rethink the mechanical and structural foundations of concentrating solar systems, focusing on durability, low cost, and scalability.
A pivotal moment came through a collaboration with IBM Research and ETH Zurich, supported by a grant from the Swiss Commission for Technology and Innovation. This partnership led to the development of the High Concentration Photovoltaic Thermal (HCPVT) system, a sunflower-like parabolic dish that concentrates sunlight up to 2,000–5,000 times to generate both electricity and usable heat. To commercialize this technology, Airlight spun off a dedicated entity, Dsolar (Dish Solar), which licensed key patents from IBM, particularly in hot-water chip cooling and thermal management. This marked Airlight’s transition from R&D to commercialization, targeting remote and off-grid applications such as mining, desalination, and community-scale power and water systems.
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Airlight Energy stands out in the concentrated solar space through several technical and systems-level innovations:
- Low-Cost Structural Design: The company uses precast fiber-reinforced concrete and inflated mirror troughs instead of traditional steel and glass, significantly reducing material and installation costs while maintaining structural integrity.
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Airlight Energy operates at the intersection of three critical energy trends: the global push for dispatchable renewables, the need for low-cost, scalable solar infrastructure, and the growing demand for solar-derived heat and desalination in off-grid and industrial settings. While utility-scale PV has dominated solar deployment, Airlight’s focus on concentrating solar with integrated storage positions it as a niche player in the next layer of solar evolution—where solar is not just intermittent generation but a source of firm, storable power and useful heat.
Its HCPVT system, in particular, aligns with the trend toward multi-output solar systems that generate electricity, process heat, cooling, and even potable water (via desalination or absorption chilling). This is especially relevant for remote mining operations, arid regions, and decentralized communities where energy, water, and cooling are all constrained. By partnering with IBM on advanced thermal management and chip cooling, Airlight also taps into the convergence of high-performance computing and sustainable energy infrastructure.
Moreover, Airlight’s engineering-led approach—rooted in civil and structural innovation—offers an alternative to the dominant PV-centric model. In a market where many CSP projects have struggled with cost and complexity, Airlight’s focus on low-cost materials, modular design, and hybrid CSP/CPV could help revive interest in concentrating solar as a viable complement to conventional PV, especially where storage and thermal output are valuable.
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Airlight Energy remains a specialized, engineering-driven player in the concentrated solar space, with a strong R&D pedigree but limited public evidence of large-scale commercial deployment or recent funding momentum. Its future trajectory likely hinges on the success of its spinoff Dsolar in commercializing the HCPVT “solar sunflower” and on partnerships that can scale its AA-CAES and hybrid CSP/CPV systems in emerging markets and industrial off-grid applications.
In the coming years, Airlight could play a niche but important role in markets where solar must do more than just generate electricity—where it must also provide heat, cooling, water, and storage. If it can demonstrate bankable projects and attract project finance or strategic partners (e.g., in mining, desalination, or industrial decarbonization), it may transition from a technology innovator to a project developer or licensor of its proprietary systems.
Ultimately, Airlight Energy exemplifies how deep engineering innovation—especially when it challenges conventional materials and structural assumptions—can open new pathways in renewable energy. While it may never rival the scale of mainstream PV giants, its work could influence how the industry thinks about low-cost, multi-functional solar systems in the era of decarbonization and energy resilience.
