Jul 11 2012
Innovative Materials Processing Technologies (IMPT) has secured a major European research project in photovoltaic nanotechnology worth €10 million.
IMPT will work with 13 partners on the Scalenano project, which will focus on the development and scale-up of nanostructured based materials and processes for low cost high efficiency chalcogenide based photovoltaics (PV).
The project runs from 1 February 2012 to 31 July 2015 with the aim of achieving a breakthrough in developing low cost and highly efficient photovoltaic devices and modules based on thin film technologies.
IMPT is set to play a crucial role in the Scalenano project, using their revolutionary patent protected Electrostatic Spray Assisted Vapour Deposition (ESAVD) technology for specialized equipment in the development of the scaled-up fabrication process.
ESAVD is a low cost, eco-friendly, and vacuum free processes with very high potential throughput for the production of reliable, high performance solar cell components.
The components will be tested in close collaboration with leading European PV research institutes and industries. The outputs will be exploited for the pilot production line. This will help to reliase the aim of Scalenano to reduce the manufacturing costs of solar panels, which is in line with the 20/20/20 target established by the European Commission and the European Strategic Energy Technology. Furthermore, the research outputs will also have wider impact and applications in display and smart windows etc.