Current R&D Projects

The DICE project aims to develop industry-compatible characterization equipment for emerging perovskite solar cell (PSC) and perovskite/silicon tandem solar cell (PST) technologies to overcome the limitations of silicon photovoltaics. The project focuses on:

● Developing a fast industrial flash solar simulator with an advanced characterization protocol for PSCs and PSTs.

● Creating a multispectral imaging setup for upscaled PSCs and PSTs to support quality control during manufacturing.

● Modeling the impact of mobile ions on PSC and PST performance.

The project aims to strengthen the EU’s position in the PV market.

About MENTOR

The MENTOR research initiative is dedicated to advancing next-generation indoor photovoltaics (IPVs) with the goal of efficiently harvesting energy from artificial light sources to power electronic devices, ultimately contributing to a sustainable and climate-neutral future. Recognizing the growing importance of energy reuse and sustainability, MENTOR will build the first international network of 8 universities, 7 industrial partners, and 5 research centers, creating a diverse and comprehensive platform for IPV research and development.

The project covers a wide array of crucial technologies, including the synthesis of organic and inorganic materials, IPV device physics and modeling, sustainable design, advanced manufacturing, and cutting-edge characterization methods. The initiative will also explore recycling methods and industrial processing of IPVs, promoting the circular economy in renewable energy technologies.

MENTOR’s interdisciplinary and intersectoral approach will provide robust training and research opportunities, particularly through its doctoral program. With 16 individual doctoral candidate projects, the initiative will develop a new generation of researchers and leaders capable of steering future academic and industrial R&D in renewable energy, electronics, and sustainable innovation.

In addition to fostering collaboration across various disciplines and sectors, MENTOR aims to push the boundaries of IPV technology, helping unlock its potential in the fast-growing IoT ecosystem. The initiative will pioneer new materials, devices, and methods, while also establishing characterization standards that will set benchmarks for the future development of sustainable energy solutions.

About RADICALS

The RADICALS project seeks to enhance photovoltaic efficiency by developing metal halide perovskite (Pk)/silicon (Si) tandem solar cells, aiming for over 30% efficiency on areas larger than 100 cm² and extending operational lifetimes to rival those of Si photovoltaics. Perovskites offer low-temperature processing, abundant materials, and high lab efficiencies, but scaling up and durability are challenges.

The project will delve into the growth principles of Pk and contact materials, particularly focusing on self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) for their superior lab-scale performance. Through novel SAMs, the project aims to address the performance and stability of Pk/Si tandems, improving deposition methods for scalability and robustness. Collaborating across several institutions, RADICALS combines expertise in device integration, material development, and advanced characterization to overcome the current limitations of tandem solar cells, aiming for high-efficiency, stable, and scalable solutions for the photovoltaic industry.

About PACSTATE

The PACSTATE project aims to advance the commercialization of perovskite solar modules through innovative packaging technology, stability evaluation, and non-destructive testing.

The core objectives include the development of new encapsulation and anti-degradation materials, alongside a commercial system for accelerated stability evaluation of these modules.

A significant focus is also on advanced non-destructive testing and modeling methods to optimize the solar module comprehensively. The project's innovative content spans creating Anti-Degradation Blocking Layers to prevent perovskite degradation, developing high-quality Crosslinking-based Encapsulation Materials to inhibit deacetylation, and employing optimized methods for lifetime testing and degradation mechanisms identification. Furthermore, non-contact wideband terahertz imaging methods and multiphysics modeling are part of the R&D, aimed at optimizing the multilayer structure of the packaged modules. The ultimate goal is to upscale commercial perovskite PV modules with the new packaging processes.

The market potential is high, with the new encapsulation materials envisioned as replacements for current films, and the enhanced lifetime testing systems accelerating the development and commercialization of emerging PV technologies, significantly benefiting academia and industry. The project partners aim to introduce their new products to the market within a year post-project completion, indicating a rapid transition from research to market implementation.

The prototype, aimed at laptops and built in collaboration with well-known display manufacturers, will target power savings of over 40% against standard RGB OLED displays through innovative design using light and saturated OLED pixels. This project aims to capitalize on the expanding global OLED market, projected to surpass $60 billion by 2026. Alongside, Fluxim is developing a versatile Display Calculation Tool to compute power consumption in RGB arrays, not just for TurboLED but also for forthcoming display panel approaches. This tool, integrating with Fluxim’s Setfos software, will enable the optimization of RGB structures for specific display concepts, thereby identifying power-efficient sub-pixel intensity combinations. With no current market tool offering such optimization, this innovation holds promise for a wide spectrum of clientele including tech giants like Apple, Samsung, and academic entities.

About SuPerTandem

SuPerTandem will accelerate the European transition to clean energy by developing a scalable, low CO2 footprint photovoltaic technology for highly-efficient (>30%) two-terminal tandem cells and modules based on complementary metal-halide perovskite absorbers. SuPerTandem uses and develops sustainable and earth-abundant perovskite absorber materials, ancillary materials, and scalable large-area manufacturing processes to create a novel low-cost environmental-friendly photovoltaic (PV) technology.

Contributors: Fluxim AG, University of Bayreuth, Simbeyond B.V., CNRS, Institut des Sciences Chimiques de Rennes, Technical University Eindhoven, University of Cologne, Universidad de Valencia, University of Bordeaux, University of St Andrews, Durham University

About TADFSolutions

TADFsolutions will train a cohort of dynamic researchers to devise, develop and implement sustainable solutions for improving the device performance of solution-processed OLEDs for display applications. In the 21st century, displays play a central role. They are embedded in almost every type of electronic device and it is difficult to imagine a world without mobile phones, monitors, and televisions. The pervasiveness of displays is driven by the disruptive organic light-emitting diode (OLED) technology. There are, however, some structural weaknesses in state-of-the-art vacuum-deposited OLEDs. These include the use of scarce metals within the materials of the device and the reliance on energy-intensive and expensive vacuum deposition fabrication methods. Solutions are required to make these devices more sustainable from the choice of materials to manufacturing processes.

12 Ph.D. scientists will undertake multidisciplinary research to meet this design challenge. Despite being cheaper, the current best solution-processed OLEDs (SP-OLEDs) still rely on scarce noble-metal-based phosphorescent emitters and underperform compared to vacuum-deposited OLEDs.

The TADFsolutions network consists of 8 leading European academics, 3 companies, and 5 international partners that are equipped and experienced to not only confront the materials and device design challenges but to provide a robust multidisciplinary and intersectoral training environment to ensure that the DFs have the requisite skills, both soft and technical, to enter the employment market and contribute to securing Europe’s leading role in OLED materials.

Further details can be found here: https://coped.energy/projects/8303/

About AIPV2

To detect defects in solar panels during manufacturing, we apply experimental characterization as well as modeling and simulation of photovoltaic cells with our software Laoss. Machine learning and traditional methods are used and compared to estimate model parameters.

Completed R&D Projects