Alternative equipment and processes for advanced manufacturing of PV technologies

Expected Outcome:

Photovoltaic power generation is pivotal in the transition to a clean energy system and the achievement of a climate-neutral economy. To this end, it is important to enhance affordability, security of supply and sustainability of PV technologies along with further efficiency improvements. To ensure security of supply, retaining the whole value chain in EU Member States/Associated countries is essential; technology de-risking is a necessary step towards this direction. Consequently, project results are expected to contribute to all of the following outcomes:

1. Contribute towards establishing a solid European PV innovation and production base.
2. Reduce the CAPEX and OPEX in the PV solar production chain, ultimately leading to cheaper modules and lower LCOE.
3. Reinforce the sustainability of the European PV value chain building a secure, resilient, and diverse domestic energy sector industrial base.

Scope:

Proposals are expected to:

• Demonstrate alternative processes and equipment for PV manufacturing with reduced CAPEX, OPEX, energy and material consumption and implement Industry 4.0 concepts.
• Increase the productivity and sustainability of large-scale PV manufacturing equipment and processing, for example by the enhancement of: i) throughput (e.g. wafers or roll area /time or module area/time) ii) yield (process & quality control) iii) availability (e.g. optimisation of uptime & service time) and iv) quality control.
• Involve multidisciplinary consortia including industrial partners.

A plan for the exploitation and dissemination of results should include a strong business case and sound exploitation strategy, as outlined in the introduction to this Destination. The exploitation plan should include preliminary plans for scalability, commercialisation, and deployment (feasibility study, business plan) indicating the possible funding sources to be potentially used (in particular the Innovation Fund).