Research Centre for Sustainable Solar Cell Technology

The Research Centre for Sustainable Solar Cell Technology (FME SUSOLTECH) was started in 2017 and joins the leading Norwegian research groups with a strong cluster of companies from Norway and abroad. Today, Si-based solar cells completely dominate the industry, a situation that is expected to continue. A successful transition to a more sustainable energy society will rely on access to increasing volumes of sustainable Si feedstock, ingots and wafers suitable for the production of increasingly efficient solar cells and modules. The anticipated future growth of the solar industry will lead to huge commercial opportunities. Norwegian companies, many of which specialize in production of Si materials for a global industry, are well placed to take place in this growth. In order to strengthen their position in a fiercely competitive industry, new production processes combining further reductions in costs with improved material quality are needed. The center research targets both cost reduction and solar cell efficiency increases by innovation along the full value chain of production. Unfortunately, 2023 was a challenging year for this part of the industry. Two companies closed down their Norwegian activities this year. In spite of this, the need and opportunities associated with the establishment of industrial value chains in PV in Europe remain large. FME SUSOLTECH and its partners will continue to work towards their realization. The center monitors the performance of solar power plants to demonstrate the effect of materials and processes on the overall cost and environmental footprint of solar electricity. This activity also supports sustainable and cost-effective growth of a growing domestic industry in installation and operation of solar power plants. This industry will grow in the coming years because of cost reductions and stricter environmental regulation, in particular in buildings. The center has previously launched an interactive map of monitored PV installations in Norway. The number of monitored PV installations continues to grow. In addition to solar companies, the center also includes large Norwegian energy companies and organizations who draw upon the partner's broad competence to develop entirely new business. The resulting Centre is the most important competence and innovation platform for a growing and broad domestic solar cell industry towards 2025. The center published broadly on topics along the entire value chain for production and use of solar cells. Among the highlights in the 2023 reporting are 3 PhD defences, examination of 14 MSc students affiliated with the center and 21 papers from the full width of the center research.

The Research Centre for Sustainable Solar Cell Technology joins the leading Norwegian research groups with a strong cluster of companies from Norway and abroad. Today, Si-based solar cells completely dominate the industry, a situation that is expected to continue. A successful transition to a more sustainable energy society will rely on access to increasing volumes of sustainable Si feedstock, ingots and wafers suitable for the production of increasingly efficient solar cells and modules. The anticipated future growth of the solar industry will lead to huge commercial opportunities. Norwegian companies, many of which specialize in production of Si materials for a global industry, are well placed to take place in this growth. In order to strengthen their position in a fiercely competitive industry, new production processes combining further reductions in costs with improved material quality are needed. The Centre research targets both cost reduction and solar cell efficiency increases by innovation along the full value chain of production. The Centre will monitor the performance of solar power plants to demonstrate the effect of planned development of materials and processes on the overall cost and environmental footprint of solar electricity. This activity will also support sustainable and cost-effective growth of a growing domestic industry in installation and operation of solar power plants. This industry will grow in the coming years because of cost reductions and stricter environmental regulation, in particular in buildings. In addition to solar companies, the Centre also includes large Norwegian energy companies and organizations who will draw upon the partner's broad competence to develop entirely new business. The resulting Centre will be the most important competence and innovation platform for a growing and broad domestic solar cell industry towards 2025.