Project PEPPER, which came into being earlier in 2010 with finances of EUR 16.7 million, EUR 9.4 million of which is financed by the European Commission – DG Energy, has the aim of further enhancing p…
Project PEPPER, which came into being earlier in 2010 with finances of EUR 16.7 million, EUR 9.4 million of which is financed by the European Commission – DG Energy, has the aim of further enhancing performance and decrease costs of thin film silicon modules within the next three years. According to Oerlikon, a leading member of the project, the goal is to demonstrate high performance processes and equipment for thin film silicon PV modules produced with lower costs, reduced material use, and an even improved environmental-friendly production process. The project deals with the major influences on Micromorph module efficiency and production cost by assessing the influences of glass, gas, transparent conductive oxide (TCO) and silicon deposition as part of the production process. Other than Oerlikon Solar, other members of the project are: the Photovoltaics Laboratory of the Institute of Microengineering at EPFL (IMT-Neuchtel, Switzerland), the Universities of Northumbria (UK) and Patras (Greece), Bosch Solar Thin Film (Germany, module production), Heliosphera (Greece, module production) and Linde (Germany, gas supply). Thanks to industry and university partners, new developments and improvements can be transferred directly into production plants where the full impact on module efficiency and costs can be evaluated. Oerlikon believes that achieving the goals of this project will further increase the competitiveness of thin film silicon Micromorph technology, not only compared to other photovoltaic technologies but also with other energy generating technologies. I am very pleased that Oerlikon Solar“s research efforts are being recognized through this project selected for a FP7 grant by the DG Energy of the European Commission, said Dr. Juerg Henz, CEO Oerlikon Solar. Driving down costs while raising the efficiency is key to economically viable solar power. With this impressive consortium of experienced research and industry leaders we will continue our path in making thin film silicon the competitive, clean and sustainable energy source of tomorrow, he added.