Joint booth of Perovskie related projects at EU PVSEC 2024

PEPPERONI reports from EU PVSEC conference

The 41st European Photovoltaic Solar Energy Conference and Exhibition (EU PVSEC), held at the ACV Austria Center Vienna from 23–27 September 2024, brought together over 1,800 experts from 60 countries to discuss the latest advancements in photovoltaic technologies. With more than 1,100 presentations, the conference showcased cutting-edge research, including efforts to address critical raw material constraints, such as reducing silver consumption, and the growing interest in perovskite/siliconi tandem cells.

The PEPPERONI project made notable contributions throughout the event, with numerous partners presenting their work through poster presentations, talks, and panel discussions as reported in the latest news

Best Practices for Testing Perovskite/Silicon Tandem Solar Cells: Indoor and Outdoor

At the EU PVSEC conference, PEPPERONI hosted an in-person workshop featuring two expert presentations and a live demonstration. Prof. Marko Topič from the Laboratory of Photovoltaics and Optoelectronics (LVPO, the University of Ljubljana) presented on Indoor and Outdoor Testing of Perovskite Solar Cells: From Single Cell to Massive Programmable Testing, focusing on cell-level monitoring and multi-channel Maximum Power Point (MPP) tracking systems. He also shared insights from module-level monitoring, the use of WLED (White LED) measurement setups, and the benefits of programmable day/night cycling for testing conditions. Dr Carolin Ulbrich from Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin (HZB) followed with a presentation on Tests and Reliability Checks – Screenings for Industrialisation. She emphasized the importance of stability in tandem solar cells, highlighting that outdoor operation is essential to assess service lifetime and model energy yield accurately. She also underlined the role of qualification tests and the need to meet IEC standards as a prerequisite for commercialisation. Although the workshop was held at the exhibition booth, running in parallel with other sessions, it attracted significant interest. Many participants gathered to engage with the presentations and witness live demonstrations of the testing setups, underscoring the relevance of rigorous testing methods for advancing perovskite/silicon PV technologies toward industrial introduction.

Manufacturing Innovative PV Technologies in the EU – Chances and Challenges

At the parallel event hosted at the EU PVSEC conference on 25 September, three EU-funded projects — PEPPERONI, IBC4EU and  PILATUS — presented their innovative approaches. Recognized as outstanding, all three actions aim to reach completion with pilot production lines. The discussion highlighted the industry’s major challenges, particularly the difficulty in remaining competitive due to low global sales prices, which have dropped to 7-9 €ct/Wp. This has put pressure on European manufacturers and Chinese producers, several of whom are already facing insolvency due to ongoing consolidation in China.

Despite these challenges, there is cautious optimism. The Net-Zero Industry Act (NZIA), adopted by the European Council in May 2024, is expected to boost EU competitiveness. As prices stabilize over the next 1.5 to 2 years, it is anticipated that European PV manufacturing could become competitive with Chinese suppliers, especially in terms of Levelized Cost of Energy (LCOE).

The event’s panel discussion, which included representatives from the three projects, technology experts, and a representative from the Renewable Energy Sources Unit of the European Commission’s Directorate General for Research and Innovation, reinforced this hope. Under the NZIA, the EU aims to meet at least 40% of its annual deployment needs for net-zero technologies by 2030 and capture 15% of global production by 2040.

The three projects presented during the event stood out for their potential, with all of them on track to establish pilot production lines. This progress showcases their collective contribution to Europe’s clean energy ambitions and reinforces the EU’s efforts to lead in innovative PV technologies. Although there was initial skepticism around the feasibility of perovskite/silicon tandem PVs, attendees expressed strong interest in our approach and were eager to see how the projects would progress.

EUROPEAN PEROVSITE NETWORK

At the EU PVSEC conference, PEPPERONI also participated in a joint booth, representing a network of EU-funded projects focused on perovskite technologies. The booth served as a vibrant hub for knowledge exchange, successfully bringing together project partners from different perovskite-related initiatives to discuss both the technology itself and its growing maturity. These exchanges helped foster deeper collaboration and mutual learning between the projects, achieving the booth’s primary goal.

The booth attracted around 50 visitors, who had the opportunity to engage directly with representatives from various projects and learn more from promotional material, including PEPPERONI flyers, which highlighted the project’s progress and objectives. 

The booth not only facilitated valuable knowledge sharing but also raised awareness about the network’s work, helping to further solidify connections across the European perovskite research community. There was also considerable interest in further formalizing the network, with many attendees inquiring about a shared newsletter and website, sparking discussions on how to implement these ideas. 

Read more about the event in the official press release

Access recordings from presentations and sessions here

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