How a Lightweight Breakthrough Made Solar Possible for Corex’s Factory Rooftop
September 16th, 2025
Not every industrial roof can host solar panels. Weight restrictions, shading, and complex layouts often leave companies with no option but to continue relying on costly grid electricity. At its manufacturing facility in Differdange, Luxembourg, Corex faced exactly this dilemma: a rooftop that could not tolerate more than 5 kg per square meter of additional load. Yet, with AIKO’s Nebular lightweight module, the company transformed a technical barrier into a sustainability milestone.
Corex, part of the international VPK Group, produces cores, tubes, and edge protectors for customers across Europe. Its energy-intensive manufacturing lines run throughout the day, making electricity both a critical cost factor and a key opportunity for decarbonization. With installation partner Enerdeal, the company set out to turn its structurally limited rooftop into a clean energy asset.
The solution came in the form of AIKO’s N-Type ABC Nebular modules, weighing only 4.3 kg/m². Paired with an ultralight mounting system of less than 0.7 kg/m², they respected the rooftop’s safety limits while still enabling a system size of 608 kWp—something no conventional module could have achieved.
“The weight constraint was a real barrier. With AIKO’s lightweight modules, we could unlock the rooftop without costly reinforcement. It shows that solar is possible even when the conditions look impossible,” says Filip Verboven, COO at Enerdeal by EDP.
Performance was never compromised. Thanks to ABC’s higher efficiency, the installation reached 15 % more capacity compared with glued PV modules. Heat dissipation also proved superior: a framed mounting method left a ventilation gap between roof and module, improving temperature performance (–0.26 % vs –0.38 %). And by using bolted fixation instead of glue, Enerdeal ensured structural integrity and avoided the micro-crack risks often linked to adhesive-based systems.
“Our customer wanted a solution that aligns with their environmental vision but also protects long-term reliability. The AIKO modules gave them both—more output and a safer, more durable installation,” says François Neu, Country Manager Luxembourg at Enerdeal by EDP.
By choosing AIKO, Corex achieved measurable gains in both sustainability and production efficiency. Compared with glued PV modules, the installation delivers:
- +15 % higher CO₂ reduction (61.114 t vs. 52.900 t)
- +18 % higher self-production ratio (85 % of annual demand covered)
- +18 % higher self-production ratio (85 % of annual demand covered)
What makes the project stand out is not just the numbers but the message it sends: that even rooftops with strict technical limits can play their part in the energy transition. With advanced technology and strong local partnerships, barriers can be turned into opportunities. For Corex, this project demonstrates that every square meter of industrial space holds potential for decarbonization—and that such steps, multiplied across Europe, are what bring the vision of a zero-carbon society within reach.
