German research group Helmholtz Association has a new platform to transfer flexible printed solar PV technologies from the lab to industry.
Known as Solar Technology Acceleration Platform (Solar TAP) for emerging Photovoltaics, it aims to bring lighter-weight solar PV solutions in a wider range of colors, with a greater range of transparency, not to mention greater bandgap tunability, than what is available in the market today.
A roadmap for the emerging PV applications is being developed by the Solar TAP participants, according to Jens Hauch, Solar TAP manager. In addition, technology transfer is already underway. “We have started several bilateral transfer activities and projects with industry members,” Hauch told pv magazine.
The potential high-growth PV applications that Solar TAP is addressing are multi-benefit, or dual-use, including agrivoltaics, building-integrated PV (BIPV), mobility, and Internet-of-Things (IoT) PV.
Solar TAP is a three-year initiative with €15.1 million ($16.6 million) funding from the Helmholtz Association. It was launched in 2023 and is led by three out of eighteen Helmholz research centers, Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin, and Karlsruhe Institute of Technology.
The group has organized three one-day events since launching that feature presentations by members of the Solar TAP community from industry and academia. At a gathering in April, the focus was agrivoltaics where experts presented the latest developments in printed solar module processes, organic PV (OPV) trends by the team that achieved the certified record OPV efficiency of 14.46 percent last year, and news about technology transfer of inkjet printing to make optical filters.
At the time, it was noted that there were 90 participants. At the previous November industry event, it was 65. Apparently, the Solar TAP network is on a growth path.
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