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HelioRec
Techstars '22Nantes, FR · Founded 2019 · 10 employees on LinkedIn · 4 known investors
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HelioRec engineers and manufactures floating solar power plants for deployment on lakes, reservoirs, and nearshore environments, serving utilities, independent power producers, hydropower operators, industrial facilities, and agricultural water stakeholders.
Also known as Heliorec · HelioRec®
Founders & leadership
HelioRec was founded in 2019 by Polina Vasilenko.
Investors · 4
How we know: First Imagine!'s portfolio page · research · business-solutions-atlantic-france.com · open dataset · 5k.vc investor directory · Not right? Tell us
How we know: the Techstars portfolio · open dataset · Top 3000 Accelerator Startups (no YC) 2026-08 · open dataset · 5k.vc investor directory · Not right? Tell us
Also in the syndicate · 1
Company profile
researched Sep 2026HelioRec is a floating photovoltaic (FPV) engineering and manufacturing company based in Nantes, France. It designs, manufactures and installs floating structures onto which purchased solar panels are mounted, then deploys the resulting floating solar power plants on lakes, reservoirs, industrial basins and nearshore water bodies. The company positions floating solar as a complement to ground-mounted solar for sites where land availability, permitting constraints or competing land use limit conventional development, noting that water-based plants can use existing grid connections and infrastructure.
The company's stated technical focus is on the aspects that govern reliability in the field: structural behaviour of the floats, mooring integrity, installation practicality, water-level variability, site access and long-term operations and maintenance. Its offer combines FPV design, site-specific engineering and project execution support, with a delivery model that scales from demonstration installations to utility-scale plants depending on site conditions. HelioRec also frames its mission around decarbonising power generation by using unused water surfaces near populated coastal areas.
Founding story
The company was founded in 2019 in Paris by Polina Vasilenko, who serves as founder, president and CEO, around the idea of using unused water surfaces near populated nearshore locations for solar generation.
Business model
HelioRec manufactures floating systems and integrates third-party photovoltaic panels, then installs and supports floating solar plants; it sells design, site-specific engineering and project execution support to developers, utilities and water asset owners, taking projects from demonstration scale through to larger commercial deployments.
Traction
HelioRec reports pilot and early commercial deployments including grid-connected plants at Blossac and Feyzin, nearshore installations at Brest (W300A and W200CX), a demonstrator in a hypersaline environment at Salins, an offshore system in Indonesia, off-grid plants at Oostende and in Tanzania, a hybrid FPV and aeration system in Dagestan, and an installation at École Polytechnique powering hydrogen production and dissolved CO2 extraction. The Brest port installation comprised 48 panels with a capacity of 25 kW. Staffing was reported as 8 employees plus 2 Cranfield University PhD students in late 2023, with about ten further hires planned by 2025.
Latest developments
In April 2024 HelioRec's floating solar technology received a Solar Impulse Efficient Solution label with an available use case. The company's current positioning emphasises a structured pathway from demonstration projects to utility-scale floating solar plants for nearshore and reservoir sites.
▸Full profile — market position, technology, go-to-market, geography, history
Market position
HelioRec is an early-stage floating solar specialist targeting nearshore and reservoir installations, a segment described as growing, with the floating solar market cited as potentially reaching 4.8 gigawatts by 2026. It is a member of the Solar Impulse Foundation ecosystem as an Innovator.
HelioRec's floats are produced from recycled plastic waste and use the patented Hydro-Lock water-ballast method instead of metal or concrete ballast, and are engineered for severe weather and nearshore exposure, with simulated resistance to 2-metre waves. The company emphasises mooring integrity, installation practicality and long-term operability, and notes that water-based siting can improve panel performance and enable coupling with applications such as hydrogen production and aquaculture.
Technology
The core technology is a floating photovoltaic platform built from floats made of recycled plastic waste, incorporating a patented process branded Hydro-Lock, in which floats are stabilised by filling them with water rather than using conventional metal or concrete ballast. The design targets exposed sites, with simulations indicating the floats could withstand waves up to 2 metres high. Engineering work centres on structural behaviour, mooring integrity, installation practicality and operability under water-level variation.
Go-to-market
HelioRec works with professional energy and infrastructure operators, using pilot and demonstrator installations at ports and reservoirs as references before progressing to grid-connected and larger commercial projects, and has stated an intent to develop 1-5 MW projects in France and Denmark.
Independent power producers and utilities; hydropower and reservoir owners; industrial and infrastructure operators including ports, shipyards and industrial basins; and water and agriculture stakeholders with ponds and irrigation reservoirs. The company also cites coastal communities seeking to decarbonise their activities.
Geography
Headquartered in Nantes (44000), France, with production previously in Estonia and plans to relocate manufacturing to France. Projects listed by the company span France (Blossac, École Polytechnique, Brest W300A and W200CX, Salins, Feyzin), Belgium (Oostende), Indonesia, Tanzania and Dagestan, with earlier installations at Ostend and the AK-Gel lake in Russia. Commercial expansion has been targeted at France and Denmark.
History
Founded in 2019 in Paris by Polina Vasilenko, HelioRec transferred its activities to Nantes in 2022 and is supported by Centrale Nantes. It installed floating solar demonstrators at Ostend in Belgium and at AK-Gel lake in Russia before installing a 48-panel, 25 kW system in the port of Brest in September 2023. In November 2023 the company was finalising a €2 million fundraising round to advance its floating system technology, prepare commercial launch and relocate production from Estonia to France.
Compiled by commissioned research from 7 cited public sources — announcements, filings, and press listed under research sources below.
Key figures
latest reportedCompany-reported or press-reported figures, each dated to when it was claimed — not independently audited.
Timeline · 4
launches, deals, and filingsHelioRec's floating solar technology for near-shore locations was featured as a labelled Solar Impulse Efficient Solution with an available use case.
HelioRec was reported to be finalising a €2 million fundraising round, of which €1.2 million had already been secured from First Imagine!, Techstars Paris Sustainable Accelerator and Bpifrance. Funds were earmarked for improving the floating system technology, preparing commercial launch and relocating production from Estonia to France.
HelioRec installed a 48-panel floating photovoltaic system with a capacity of 25 kW in the port of Brest, its third port installation after Ostend (Belgium) and AK-Gel lake (Russia).
Founded in Paris in 2019, the company moved its operations to Nantes in 2022.
Dated company events from announcements, filings, and press; legal rows summarize public dockets and regulator releases.
▸Research sources · 7
primary sources listed
- HelioRecheliorec.com · web
7 public sources were cited for this profile; the first-party ones are listed here.
Frequently asked questions
- What does HelioRec do?
- HelioRec is a French engineering and manufacturing company building floating solar power plants for reservoirs and nearshore waters.
- Who founded HelioRec?
- HelioRec was founded by Polina Vasilenko in 2019.
- Who are HelioRec's investors?
- HelioRec's investors include First Imagine!, Techstars, Bpifrance.
- Where is HelioRec headquartered?
- HelioRec is headquartered in Nantes, FR.