Solar Cell Fabric Market - Global Industry Size, Share, Trends, Opportunity, and Forecast, 2021-2031

The Global Solar Cell Fabric Market is projected to expand from USD 37.94 Billion in 2025 to USD 68.13 Billion by 2031, registering a CAGR of 10.25%. Solar cell fabric is characterized as a flexible textile embedded with photovoltaic materials, such as thin-film or organic cells, enabling electricity generation within garments, architectural membranes, or portable structures. The market is primarily driven by the rising demand for lightweight, off-grid power solutions in the defense and outdoor sectors, alongside the architectural necessity for building-integrated photovoltaics that combine aesthetics with functionality. These drivers facilitate a transition toward versatile energy-harvesting surfaces that cannot be achieved with traditional rigid panels.

A major obstacle hindering rapid growth is the technical difficulty of preserving electrical efficiency while ensuring mechanical durability against washing and abrasion. Despite this challenge, the sector benefits significantly from the capitalization of the wider solar industry. As reported by SolarPower Europe, global solar installations achieved a record 597 GW in 2024. This extensive industrial expansion provides the mature supply chain required to support the advancement of niche technologies such as solar cell fabrics.

Market Drivers

Advancements in flexible and thin-film photovoltaic technologies are propelling the solar cell fabric market by enabling the manufacture of lightweight cells that integrate smoothly into substrates without losing structural integrity. Innovations in organic photovoltaics allow for the creation of pliable energy-harvesting apparel that rigid silicon modules cannot support, directly addressing the critical need for mechanical flexibility in textile applications. Highlighting this progress, Dracula Technologies announced in January 2024 the inauguration of its 'Green MicroPower Factory,' a facility designed to produce up to 150 million square centimeters of organic photovoltaic modules annually. Such scalability is vital for moving solar fabrics from experimental prototypes to commercially viable products.

The global transition toward sustainable and renewable energy further drives adoption by necessitating energy solutions that extend beyond standard rooftop installations. As industries aim for carbon neutrality, the requirement for ubiquitous power generation leads to the integration of photovoltaics into surfaces like awnings and emergency shelters, a shift supported by massive capital investment in the clean energy sector. According to the International Energy Agency's 'World Energy Investment 2024' report from June 2024, global investment in solar PV was projected to reach $500 billion in 2024. Additionally, the International Renewable Energy Agency noted that in 2024, solar energy comprised 73% of the renewable capacity growth from the previous year, ensuring a strong foundation for the future expansion of solar cell fabrics.

Market Challenges

The technical challenge of maintaining electrical efficiency while ensuring mechanical durability against washing and abrasion acts as a critical barrier to the Global Solar Cell Fabric Market. This inherent trade-off significantly limits commercial growth because the encapsulation layers needed to protect photovoltaic cells from the rigorous stress of laundering often degrade their energy conversion capabilities. Consequently, manufacturers struggle to produce textiles that are both functional for daily wear and capable of generating sufficient power, confining the technology to niche, temporary applications rather than mass-market consumer apparel or permanent architectural use.

This limitation prevents solar fabrics from securing a meaningful share of the broader solar energy sector, which demands high reliability and longevity. According to the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA), the U.S. solar industry installed nearly 50 GW of new generation capacity in 2024. This substantial market volume is dominated by rigid technologies that offer guaranteed lifespans, highlighting the performance gap that fabric-based solutions currently fail to bridge. The inability to withstand abrasion and washing cycles without efficiency loss leaves solar fabrics unable to compete with these mature standards, directly impeding the sector's growth potential.

Market Trends

The expansion of solar fabric applications in architectural facades and awnings is transforming the construction landscape by enabling the activation of building envelopes that cannot support the weight of rigid panels. This trend establishes solar textiles as essential components in bioclimatic architecture, where tensile membranes and shading systems actively contribute to a building's energy balance while maintaining aesthetic fluidity. The adoption of these integrated solutions is accelerating as regional markets prioritize the decarbonization of the built environment through advanced regulatory frameworks. According to TaiyangNews in March 2025, Italy has emerged as a leader in this sector, achieving the largest installed capacity of Building Integrated Photovoltaics (BIPV) with over 2.5 GW of deployments.

Simultaneously, the integration of photovoltaics into smart performance apparel is redefining the wearables market by embedding energy-harvesting capabilities directly into consumer goods and accessories. This development addresses the critical limitation of battery life in connected devices, utilizing advancements in light-sensitive polymers to harvest energy from ambient indoor and outdoor lighting. The sector is witnessing a rapid transition from prototype research to industrial-scale manufacturing, supported by substantial capital injections aimed at refining production efficiency. According to a November 2025 press release from Exeger, the company secured SEK 130 million from the Swedish Energy Agency to accelerate the industrialization and scale-up of its flexible indoor solar cell technology.

Key Players Profiled in the Solar Cell Fabric Market

• The Solar Cloth Company Ltd.
• Konarka Technologies, Inc.
• PowerFilm Solar Inc.
• ShadePlex
• Pvilion
• HELIATEK
• Solivus Limited
• ENGIE Utilities Company
• First Solar Inc.
• SunPower Corporation

Report Scope

In this report, the Global Solar Cell Fabric Market has been segmented into the following categories:

Solar Cell Fabric Market, by Fabric:

• Nylon
• Polyester
• Acrylic
• PVC
• Others

Solar Cell Fabric Market, by Solar Cell:

• Silicon
• Thin-film
• Perovskite
• Organic
• Quantum Dots
• Multijunction
• Concentrated
• Others

Solar Cell Fabric Market, by Product Type:

• Consumer Wearable
• Drapes
• Others

Solar Cell Fabric Market, by End User:

• Residential
• Non-Residential

Solar Cell Fabric Market, by Region:

• North America
• Europe
• Asia-Pacific
• South America
• Middle East & Africa

Competitive Landscape

Company Profiles: Detailed analysis of the major companies present in the Global Solar Cell Fabric Market.

Available Customization

The analyst offers customization according to your specific needs. The following customization options are available for the report:

• Detailed analysis and profiling of additional market players (up to five).

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