The transition towards a society powered by 100% renewable energy necessitates the widespread de-ployment of photovoltaics. This poses a challenge due to the limited availability of resources and space. To address this, breakthrough technologies that consume fewer resources and achieve higher conversion efficiencies than the dominant silicon technology are required. The overarching goal of UltiMatePV is to re-invent the modern solar cell and open the gate to a new generation of resource-saving photovoltaic technology with highest conversion efficiencies. Enabling light-trapping beyond the Lambertian limit, based on schemes such as multi-resonant photonics, will allow for the realiza-tion of higher efficiency solar cells with typically 10x less use of semiconductor materials and thus reduce the required resources tremendously. This strongly reduced device thickness will also lead to confinement of the photo-generated charge carriers. The resulting increase of the carrier concentration will open the door for the realization of the worldwide first efficient hot-carrier cell, in which most of the carriers can be extracted before they thermalize. A new generation of devices based on the three currently relevant types of semiconductor absorbers (Si, III-V, perovskite) will be researched, account-ing for, e.g. the new requirements in terms of compatibility with resonant optical structures and ultra-low interface defect density. The unique complementary consortium of experimental, theoretical and modelling teams will overcome the Shockley Queisser limit for single junction solar cells with both ultrathin multi-junction and hot-carrier solar cells, enabling the first experimental proof of effects pre-dicted theoretically. We aim for a solar cell with an efficiency of 40%, requiring 10 times less semi-conductor material than classical devices, while paving the way to a broader range of other optoelec-tronic devices.

The European Green Deal aims for a climate neutral EU in 2050. This can only be achieved by novel technologies, amongst them renewable energy sources. Photovoltaics has proven viable but requires improvements in terms of its environmental footprint. Thus, efficiency must be maximized and energy and raw materials used for production minimized. The recently emerged research field of perovskite solar cells (PSCs) might provide an answer to these challenges. However, PSCs face one huge obstacle on their way towards commercialization: They are not stable under all operational conditions, in particular they are easily damaged when they are integrated into solar modules, where part of the module(s) might be shaded. This work provides a fully novel and unique solution, which protects the PSC and allows harvesting the energy of the non-shaded cells. Our goal is to develop a fully integrated and mass-production compatible version of our protecting element. We will fabricate a larger-area demonstrator, which will show non-deteriorated efficiency or stability compared to the PSC itself. To assess the long-term performance of our cointegrated device, we will develop a suitable test protocol for the lab and operate a series-connected module under real-world shading conditions. We will consult with solar-cell manufacturing companies to solely focus on materials and processes relevant and feasible for large-scale production. We will optimize our current vacuum processing steps and expand to solution processing technologies compatible with industrial printing processes. By the end of the project, we will have established R&D collaborations with the industry and found partners for licensing our technology.

The EU-funded SOLARIS project aims at supporting the efficient and sustainable deployment of photovoltaics (PV) as a central pillar of the European energy system. It will combine PV market and technology development scenarios with data on supply chains, resource requirements and end-of-life management to achieve a better understanding of the environmental impacts, criticality and circularity linked to future PV. Opportunities for improving PV sustainability and European resilience will be highlighted, and recommendations on policy measures will be provided. SOLARIS will also develop a database and decision-making tool enabling the PV industry, policy and broader audience to compare different future scenarios (e.g. PV processes, materials, cell technologies, production locations) in terms of their environmental impact and supply resilience.

Perovskite photovoltaics offer a low-cost, high-efficiency solution to speed up the transition to net-zero emissions. In particular, tin-lead perovskite solar cells have ideal optical properties for peak performance. However, their large-scale use is hampered by stability issues at perovskite surfaces, i.e. oxidation, vulnerable defects, and chemical mismatch with ordinary charge transport layers in solar cells. Self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) are alternative transport layers that allow the manipulation of critical interface regions, yet their use in tin-lead perovskite photovoltaics remains in its infancy. Careful choice of SAM functional groups, molecular structure and redox chemistry are key to tackle perovskite limitations. SAMper will develop ultrastable and highly efficient tin-lead perovskite solar cells by designing SAM device architectures with interface-specific smart functionality. Defect-passivating, perovskite-healing and oxidant scavenging SAM moieties will afford the targeted properties, as will be demonstrated via structural, chemical and electrical interface analysis. Top SAM-based devices will be tested outdoors to demonstrate their excellent durability and efficiency, comprising the first example of tin-lead perovskite solar cell testing under real-world conditions and paving the way towards their commercial deployment. SAMper contributes towards clean energy in alignment with European Green Deal decarbonisation targets. The project will further the researcher's excellence and career prospects via training on cutting-edge multidisciplinary research. Knowledge transfer with the supervisor will foster the researcher's scientific independence via key management skills. The secondment for outdoor tests will facilitate international synergies. Project outputs and datasets will adhere to FAIR principles, aiding the benchmarking of the technologies herein. Various activities will disseminate these results, and foster STEM vocations among local youth.

The project Efficient Organic Photovoltaic Sensors (EFFECTOR) will deliver innovative and environmentally-friendly solutions for digital and wearable electronics at TRL7. These objects will be individually powered by harvesting low-level light and will be made from sustainable materials for a bright digital future. EFFECTOR will contribute to a strategic position through an open economy in the key digital, and human-centric emerging technology by developing highly sustainable energy harvesting under diffuse, low-light conditions in the key areas of security and health. EFFECTOR will create new sustainable European value chains for photovoltaic technologies and open new innovative business-to-business operations by doubling the efficiency of non-toxic organic solar cells for use under low-level light. It will couple in a streamline way with non-toxic, sustainable supercapacitors with advanced low power electronics. The EFFECTOR strategy is to bring solar cell technology to mainstream use by eliminating the need for mains electricity from everyday human-centred electronics. It will develop sustainable materials and processes, using non-toxic materials and reducing environmental impact applicable for a huge raft of human-centred technologies and innovations. EFFECTOR draws on the world-leading inkjet OPV manufacturing of Dracula Technologies, the sustainable non-toxic aqueous supercapacitors of Innocell, and the high fidelity power management systems from e-peas. With its world-leading academic partners in solar cell design (SDU), high throughput industrial electronic printing and integration (VTT) and polymers for solar cell stabilization (CNRS), it will demonstrate this innovative multi-faceted approach in vital health monitoring with Polar and portable device applications with CardLab’s biometric card technology. EFFECTOR will demonstrate how low-level and indoor light can power our future in a secure, reliable and sustainable way.

Renewable energies provide clean, inexhaustible, and increasingly competitive energy source differing from fossil fuels in diversity, abundance, and potential for use. Solar energy capacity in European Union has been increasing in recent years with Germany, Spain and Poland leading the way in new installations. In 2022, the European Union added a record-breaking 41.4GW of solar power, increasing the total solar power capacity by 25%. Within the solar energy market, perovskite-based solar cells (PSCs) will contribute significantly towards the overall mix of solar energy due to PSCs differentiators compare to other solar Photovoltaic technologies of: (i) low-cost, (ii) excellent power-to-weight performance and (iii) high power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 25.7% at lab-scale in 2022, up from 3.8% in 2009. A key challenge of PSC technology is replication at large-scale as there is a substantial difference in performance from small-area cell (lab-scale) and large-area module performance. PERSEUS is designed to establish a foundation for PSC production and application development within Europe. The project will develop and demonstrate 3 different large area PSC architectures that offer broad adoption potential across multiple industries such as Floating Photovoltaics, Building Integrated and Applied Photovoltaics, Agri-Photovoltaics and Urban Photovoltaics. As each end-user requires different properties (e.g. performance, lifetime and cost targets), PERSEUS will develop parallel solutions to meet end-user needs covering: (1) single-junction opaque modules (2) semi-transparent modules and (3) 4T Perovskite + CIGS tandem module architectures. These will be translated into ‘blueprints’, of multi-stage manufacturing line(s) which have validated, matched outputs and allow immediate post-project progress to the commercialization phase.

SHINE PV will develop alternative technological routes to PV production for Silicon Heterojunction and TOPCon solar cells, covering the three key steps in the back-end manufacturing: metallization, post-processing and interconnection. SHINE PV will demonstrate different flows and down-select the most promising ones in terms of cost of ownership and high volume manufacturing readiness. Advanced equipment at TRL7 with Industry 4.0 dedicated features, innovative materials and solutions will be developed. For the metallization, SHINE PV will introduce parallel dispensing and plating as High Volume Manufacturing (HVM) alternative processes to incumbent screen printing, with the objective of demonstrating the complete or partial replacement of Ag with Cu, a fundamental step to enable Tera-Watt scale production levels. Moreover, SHINE PV will increase the efficiency through cell post-processing by applying Light Soaking process in HVM and recover the cutting-induced losses by Edge Re-Passivation. For the module making step, the innovations in interconnection proposed are Twill and Shingling processes and HVM equipment. Both will leverage on the optimization of the metallization and post-processing steps and will demonstrate their potential in terms of superior electrical properties, aesthetics, reliability, and compatibility with premium module designs. The expectation of the project is to enable an increase of solar cell (or module) efficiency of 0.5% absolute versus the reference process with a simultaneous CoO reduction of 20%, due to reduced material costs and increased equipment productivity. SHINE PV project will demonstrate the integrated innovative processes and novel equipment both virtually and within physical pilots at industrial partners at TRL7. To our knowledge for all these technologies no production equipment is available for HVM worldwide, and we envision a great potential for a PV supply chain revamping in EU.

The EMPOWER project will develop alternative equipment and processes to advance PV manufacturing, tackling the bottlenecks across the entire value chain-from Si wafer production to PV module fabrication-. Our goal is to reduce Capital Expenditure (CapEx) and Operating Expenditure (OpEx), leading to a lower Levelized Cost of Electricity (LCOE) in Europe. We aim to enhance throughput, yield, sustainability, and decrease energy and raw material consumption. We will demonstrate the high-quality N-type Si wafers production using direct wafering tools, bypassing the traditional PolySi, ingot, and sawing process, contributing to cost reduction, minimizing waste production CO2 footprint. This innovative wafering technology will revolutionize the traditional wafer process, revitalizing Europe's PV upstream industry. Simultaneously, we will demonstrate alternative metallization processes for solar cells to reduce silver (Ag) consumption, high-throughput edge passivation to mitigate power loss during cell cutting, and high-speed interconnection and lamination to meet flexibility requirements in diverse cell and module configurations. The emphasis is on advancing N-type Si-based high-efficiency solar cell technologies, prioritizing low carbon footprint production, with an opportunity to compete with the Chinese PV industry. Leveraging Industry 4.0 implementation, EMPOWER aims to enhance production efficiency, improve PV production quality, and further reduce production costs. The project includes a demonstration of a virtual vertically integrated PV production line, along with the development of business cases and market introduction strategies. Through close collaboration in a multidisciplinary and multiactor approach including a solid exploitation and business development strategy, EMPOWER will not only achieve low-cost European PV manufacturing, but also bring Europe back to the leadership in the PV sector.

Photovoltaics (PVs) cells will play a major role in the worldwide transition to more sustainable sources of energy. There has been a vast scale up in the deployment of PV cells driven by the drastic price reduction of Si photovoltaics (Si-PVs). It is now widely accepted that increases in PV efficiency are key to pushing PV deployment further and continuing to lower costs. However, after decades of research and development, Si-PVs are approaching the theoretical limit for power conversion efficiencies (currently 26.8% out of a possible 29.4%) as determined by the Shockley-Queisser limit, due to thermalisation losses. There is currently no commercially deployed technology that can overcome this challenge. The project LEEMONS will make a proof-of-concept demonstration of a new technology – an electron multiplication phenomenon, which overcomes these fundamental thermalisation losses by converting high energy electrons into several lower energy electrons. This solution is compatible with 80% (possibly 95%) of current PV manufacturing capacity as well as future designs and hence requiring little change on the current manufacturing lines and therefore low capital expenses. LEEMONS project will produce prototypes fabricated from state-of the art European PV cells (PERC based and Heterojunction solar cells). These integrated cells shall demonstrate a gain in power conversion efficiency, thus opening up a new technological area, which will help deliver both economic, societal and environmental benefits.

The MENTOR research initiative will provide a comprehensive and versatile technical platform for the development of next-generation indoor photovoltaics (IPVs) that efficiently re-use energy from artificial illumination to power electronics, eventually contributing to an energy- and climate-neutral future. MENTOR aims to unlock the full potential of IPVs taking into consideration growing concerns about sustainability, through the establishment of the first international network of 8 universities, 7 industrial partners, and 5 research centers. The consortium will cover all the key aspects and technologies related to IPVs, including sustainable design, organic and inorganic materials synthesis, photovoltaics manufacturing and characterization, device physics and modelling, theoretical and machine learning-driven approaches, photovoltaics recycling, and industrial processing. MENTOR will establish an interdisciplinary, intersectoral, and global program of doctoral training and research that propels the development of new leaders capable of directing academic and industrial R&D on renewable energy, electronics, and sustainability through the successful implementation of 16 doctoral candidate (DC) individual projects. This research initiative will amplify the recently recognized importance of IPVs for the sustainable powering of the IoT by advancing novel material designs, processing methods, device architectures, theoretical models, and characterization standards across disciplines and sectors.

The EU guidelines for circular production and supply chains require a strategic approach at every stage of the product lifecycle. The shift towards circularity starts with circular design principles, where the linear “take-make-dispose” model is superseded by the one that prioritizes reusability, reparability, and recyclability. CIRCMAN5.0 combines advanced industry 4.0 technologies with human-centric design principles to assess and demonstrate how waste reduction and optimization of raw material can be feasible and profitable while significantly reducing the environmental impact of manufacturing processes. CIRCMAN5.0 delivers a Human-Centred AI-aided Framework for the Photovoltaic (PV) manufacturing industry, entailing: (I) AI-driven modelling and circular-by-design simulation techniques for product design; (II) ML algorithms for dynamic production process reconfiguration; (III) A Cognitive Digital Twin environment supported by AAS models for testing and verification of manufacturing processes for efficient resource utilisation, waste management etc; (III) A Circularity and Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) Framework to help with comprehensive evaluation of the sustainability aspects of products and processes using data/feedback from AI-based process optimisation, forecasting models, energy and emissions metrics etc.; (IV) The Human-in-the-Loop (HitL) Recommendation Engine to provide actionable and explainable recovery strategies for EoL products; (V) The Digital Product/Material Passport (DPP) enabled by Distributed Ledger Technology enabling secure and trustworthy information sharing. The learning resources developed in the project will equip the EU industrial workforce with digital, circular and transversal skills. CIRCMAN5.0 will be tested in four (4) PV manufacturing industries providing different type of products (e.g. perovskites PV, BIPV, BAPV, OPV).

In recent years, organometal halide perovskite-based photovoltaics (PV) have attracted great interest for their high power conversion efficiency at low manufacturing cost. Presently, East Asia especially China and North America are rapidly ramping up towards mass production of perovskite PV. More efforts are urgently needed for perovskite PV upscaling in Europe. LAPERITIVO focuses on the development of large-area stable perovskite solar modules, using processes with high manufacturability. Efficiency targets are 22% and 20% for 900 cm2 opaque and semi-transparent (with >95% bifaciality) modules, respectively. Key research activities include the deposition of high-quality perovskite films as well as contacting layers over large substrate area using industrially viable techniques. Indoor and outdoor field tests, in line with International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) standards, will be performed to monitor module reliability. Safety, circularity, and sustainability will be assessed to demonstrate products with minimized environmental impact. The developed semi-transparent modules will be applied to perovskite/silicon four-terminal tandem modules and also to Agrivoltaics. Design of perovskite PV pilot line of 200 MW and production capacity of 5 GW in Europe will also be explored. The well-balanced consortium consists of 22 complementary partners including 8 European leading research institutes/universities (IMEC, UNITOV, EMPA, Fraunhofer ISE, IPVF, CNRS, CSEM, Hellenic Mediterranean University), 1 African research institute (Green Energy Park, Morocco), 5 small and medium-sized enterprises (Becquerel Institute, Becquerel Institute France, Becquerel Institute Spain, Dyenamo, TSE Troller, SmartGreenScans, BeDimensional), and 6 big companies (Pilkington Technology Management Limited (PTML), Singulus Technologies, Voltec Solar, Engie, TotalEnergies, EDF). In this way, the project aims to establish the pathway to open the era of manufacturing perovskite-based next-generation PV products in Europe.

Floating PV, if it is to aid the transition to a climate-neutral and resilient society and contribute towards the EU policy goals, must overcome 3 challenges that are also high-lighted in the Work Programme. FPV must prove its sustainability, by demonstrating low impact on biodiversity and satisfy end-of-life requirements, its longevity and reliability by demonstrating system components that satisfy structural and functional requirements for the entire lifecycle, and its affordability, by reducing the LCOE from FPV power plants. These are the challenges that the objectives of SuRE seek to overcome. Activities are structured into 3 generalizable topics, SUstainability, Reliability, and Efficiency, which gives SuRE FPV its name, and are designed to advance the entire FPV industry. We will further work with concrete technology developments for 3 leading European FPV technologies to improve their design, sustainability, cost-competitiveness and application range. The three FPV technology providers are Ciel et Terre (CTI), who have installed 650 MW globally, Zimmermann PV-Steel Group (ZIM), who is dominating the European FPV market, and Sunlit Sea (Sunlit) who is providing a innovative FPV solution for off-shore deployment. CTI has recently prototyped a new floater design, which will be developed and tested in SuRE, first 50 kW, then on 5 MW scale. ZIM aims to expand their technology to higher sea states, and will build a 5 MW based on the developments in floater-, connection- and anchoring- technology in SuRE. Sunlit are about to scale up their FPV technology and see potential for large reductions in cost and CO2 footprint through the activities planned in SuRE. They will build a smaller, but still commercially relevant, pilot of 100 on the Norwegian cost. Ultimately, SuRE will provide both cost-efficient and sustainable new FPV technologies and generalizable knowledge, thereby expanding the potential application areas without environmental sacrifices.

LUMINOSITY is an industry driven project aimed at leveraging the flexible perovskite solar cells (PSC) technology to commercially relevant production scales, using established industrial processes. The objective of the project is to demonstrate roll-to-roll (R2R) processed photovoltaic (PV) module with power conversion efficiency (PCE) of >20% at an area of >900 cm2, and thus overcome the efficiency gap between lab-scale and fab-scale processed devices, elevating the TRL up to 7. One of the unique selling points of this work is the commercial substrate foil based on aluminum with fluorinated-tin-oxide (FTO) electrode layer, which is an intellectual property of HyET Solar, the end user in the consortium. By using this substrate foil, LUMINOSITY will alleviate the bottlenecks related to limited process window of typical polymer substrate foils – such as high quality nickel oxide charge transport layer deposition (requires 300ºC thermal process) – to reach high stability, efficiency, and lower environmental impact, while keeping the flexibility. The consortium encompasses the full value chain from research and technology developers, equipment manufacturers, suppliers, and industrial end-users. Together, we are well-equipped to surmount the existing challenges that have hindered the widespread adoption of PSC technology. Specifically, LUMINOSITY will achieve operational stability exceeding 20 years that rivals the lifetime of current commercial thin film PV technologies, while ensuring economic (0.14 USD/W at R2R production scale) and environmental feasibility (50% lower CO2 foot-print in comparison to c-Si PV), substantiated by comprehensive Life Cycle and Techno-economic Analysis. LUMINOSITY will fast-track the market uptake of flexible perovskite PV technology and thus enable rapid increase of PV installation capacity in EU to reach the goals set by REPowerEU plan.

The SiLEAN project, involving 2 research institutes, one University partner, 4 SMEs and 1 industry partner, deals with the development of advanced innovations to tackle the major drawbacks of silicon heterojunction solar cell technology, namely the high energy and material demand for Si wafer manufacturing, limited current generation, and the consumption of scarce materials like silver, bismuth and indium. Within the scope of the project, we will directly grow the wafers from the gas phase with low temperature processes, apply alternative passivation concepts that show higher optical transparency, develop indium-free contact layers and apply silver and bismuth-free metallization with all-in-one cell interconnection and encapsulation. We aim to achieve >25.5% solar cell efficiency and >23.5% module efficiency with 50% lower costs for Si wafers and contacting, as well as up to 75% lower carbon footprint. All processes applied allow upscaling to larger sizes as well as high manufacturing throughput. Eventually, the developments of SiLEAN will pave the way for a new, lean, generation of heterojunction solar cell technology that will both increment the energy conversion efficiency and unlock production at terawatt-scale.

SUPERNOVA will embrace existing proven successful concepts (breaking silos and innovating in sector where R&D&I are usually not a common target) and will integrate them with further disruptive key elements: - O&M and grid friendly design of PV plants thanks to advanced solutions in software for the early design and engineering phase to go beyond yield maximisation. Severe weather events are increasing in frequency and bespoke planning and dedicated mitigation measures must be put in place; - Multilayer approach where standalone solutions can be hybridised and connected in interoperable digital platforms; - Avoid a data tsunami effect on stakeholders by leveraging on AI to manage and govern the immense quantity of data and provide solutions using Instruction Tuned Large Language Models; - Share data with a larger basis to generate value for the data provider and for the data user and study how the process could be also monetized; - Develop solutions related to the use of automated processes that can replace the operator's work in data and image collection, increase the intrinsic value of O&M contracts, free up human resources for data analysis itself and therefore the creation of added value in new services ; - Develop solutions that exploits all the previous key elements towards condition monitoring of PV components in view of circular economy (for e.g., reuse), drive optimal procurement for future projects, provide valuable insights for better services (for e.g. insurance) and ultimately increase profitability. Combining these features SUPERNOVA will innovate in: O&M and grid friendly design including mitigation measures for severe weather conditions, tools and components for multi aspect sensing, robotic solutions and their hybridisation, data fusion to generate AI based controlled insights explosion via federated PV asset management, classify PV components for re-use and create a PV data space.

Current recycling practices for Photovoltaic (PV) waste modules are unrefined and recover low volume and low value materials. To be economical and sustainable the recycling of PV waste needs to efficiently recover all of the material constituents at a quality suitable for the reuse in new PVs, with minimal impact. APOLLO will create a circular approach to link legacy recycling, future production and future recycling. A pilot line will be demonstrated and used to process an input of 40 tonnes of PV waste which will be recycled, resulting in enough reclaimed materials for 1 tonne of remanufactured silicon and 30 exemplar PV modules. Incoming modules will be streamed by glass composition, enabling batch recovery of high-quality glass, to be used for new solar-grade glass. A novel continuous ‘sonification’ technique, (ultrasonically excited etchant) will rapidly separate silicon, silver, copper and other metals in a sequence along a pipe-based process. Used liquid etchants will be recycled in a closed loop resulting in low waste, small footprint. Further, recovered silicon will be refined to a purity suitable for new PV-grade ingot growth. The objective is to deliver purified silicon with a minimum purity of 99.9999%. Multiple innovations increase the percentage weight recovery from 18% to 93%. APOLLO will prove the suitability of the recycled silicon by growing new ingots, manufacturing solar cells and then new PV modules. 20 PERC-based modules, 10 Tandem modules and 30sqm of single junction perovskite cells will be made. These modules will incorporate new designs, materials and manufacturing methods, and be designed for disassembly and recycling. Blockchain-based Digital Product Passports (DPPs) for PV will be designed and implemented as well as an online marketplace for reused, remanufactured and/or recycled PV components. DPPs provide secure and trustworthy data for the life of the product and aid recycling by supplying material, hazards and history on request.

SolMates aims to provide a novel industrial, scalable technology for producing flexible, durable, made-to-measure, two-terminal CIGSe/perovskite multijunction thin-film PV modules. By optimized matching of narrow bandgap CIGS bottom cells on flexible substrates (steel, polyimide and flexible glass) with high bandgap perovskite top cells, a conversion efficiency higher than 30% (1cm²) will be reached. The focus on roll-to-roll compatible large-area high-rate deposition techniques for both layer systems in combination with the development of in-line quality control units for defect detection will lead to a minimized cell-to-module gap and full industrial scale-up after the project ends. SolMates will demonstrate a 100 cm² flexible, lightweight, durable, encapsulated monolithic interconnected tandem thin-film module with more than 25%. Due to a unique serial interconnection the made-to-measure production of highly-efficient PV modules in respect to shape, size and output voltage based on multijunction solar cells will become a reality. The developed technologies boost the power output of flexible thin-film PV, paving the way for the uptake of long awaited applications such as integrated PV. By exploiting already existing surfaces for solar energy generation, land-use conflicts will be minimized and the total costs for PV can be reduced. The involved, innovation driven SMEs will cooperate with the research partners to facilitate a pathway to mass production, low-cost, roll-to-roll fabrication of SoleMates’ PV technology and strenghten the EU PV value chain. The environmental footprint of the technology, which is inherently low for thin film devices with thin, flexible, lightweight substrates and encapsulation, will be carefully assessed with respect to SolMates' recycling strategy. Possible end-use applications will be reviewed and a long-term vision, focusing on the environmental, social and economic benefits of utilising PV in our daily lives will be developed.

A dramatic rise in the implementation of renewable energy sources is needed if we want to meet European climate protection targets. Photovoltaic (PV) costs have decreased spectacularly over time, turning photovoltaics into one of the most competitive sources of electricity in the EU. An economically feasible and space-saving approach to increase the capacity of renewable energy sources is to integrate PV systems into structures that already exist or to build new structures that originally integrate a PV function. Building-integrated and infrastructure-integrated PV are technologically proven solutions. Due to its multifunctionality, building-integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) installations can achieve a better economic and ecological balance over their lifetime than conventional building elements. New technologies for PV cells, electrical connections, and front and back covers allow a free choice of formats and colours for integrated PV modules. Likewise, infrastructure-integrated PV offers a large potential for PV integration, due to the unique advantages of somewhat standardized constructions, little emphasis on aesthetics and a small number of builders and owners compared to the building sector. However, integrated PV (IPV) is still a niche market. Several barriers are still preventing the massive integration of PV into buildings and infrastructure. The project MASS-IPV has been conceived as a multidisciplinary action that connects key players along the PV and construction value chains. The goal of the project is to demonstrate that suitable tools, technologies, and methods, combined with a collaboration framework among key stakeholders, can overcome the barriers preventing the mass deployment of IPV and deliver multifunctional and cost-effective IPV systems for buildings and infrastructure. Six different built objects will be used to demonstrate the technology, representing different construction typologies in five different locations in Europe.

Europe's ambitious target of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 55% by 2030 presents a significant challenge, and addressing it requires innovative solutions. The SPHINX project aims to accelerate the adoption of photovoltaics, the cheapest source of energy, by developing new photovoltaic products for integrated construction that are multi-functional, aesthetically pleasing, and have a minimal impact on resources such as land and materials. SPHINX aims to demonstrate solutions for an economic and sustainable integration of five innovative PV products in five respective demonstration sites covering different construction typologies: lightweight modules for installation on rooftops with weight constraints, tiles for heritage buildings, tiles for facades, semi-transparent modules for carports, and noise barriers. Each of these products will be piloted and monitored to demonstrate high energy production, low degradation rates, competitive installation costs, and a low environmental impact. To increase the efficiency of solar modules, SPHINX is leveraging a disruptive European interconnection technology known as matrix shingling. This technology improves the filling of the active area of solar modules, leading to a 3% increase in power output, and make them less sensitive to shading. This translates to up to 3 times more energy yield compared to standard modules under strong partial shading. Furthermore, this technology drastically reduces the use of resources such as lead and copper. To further enhance module performance, SPHINX will add new functionalities to the encapsulant, including UV selective absorption and reemission for power increase, selective reflection of IR light to increase bifacial boost, and reduce temperature behind the panel. New coatings will also be developed to provide anti-glare and anti-fouling capabilities based on a new deposition process that can be reapplied in the field in case of damage

INCREASE aims to contribute to a wider uptake of IPV by delivering innovations at module and system level, as well as for the design & operation phase. New encapsulants and coatings will be developed contributing to improved aesthetics, reduced glare, lower environmental footprint, improved behavior during fire, and improved antifoiling and antisoiling behavior. At system level, innovations focus on integrated facade and roof concepts, as well as noise barriers. Practical guidelines will further be delivered for bespoke infrastructure integrated projects, validated with a variety of complementary infrastructure integrated PV projects. Elaborate testing is foreseen at module and system level in line with relevant construction related and electrical standards. Optimal case-specific selection of IPV size and characteristics will be supported by a multi-objective optimisation software that takes into account the shape and use of the building or infrastructure, its surroundings, and its energy flexibility potential and steer the asset operation as well as suggest specific user behaviour to maximise the self-consumption. To increase market acceptance, a strong layer of user feedback and co-creation underpins the overall R&D activities, and contributes to delivering 10 complementary building and infrastructure demonstrations on 9 locations in 6 European countries. Cross-sector interactions, policy exchanges, investor dialogues, and country-specific business case assessments will further direct the exploitation towards large scale market uptake.

Solar cell technology has played a pivotal role in addressing climate change and achieving the goals outlined in the Green Deal. Perovskite solar cells have emerged as a vital innovation, offering a much-needed boost in efficiency and durability. The EU-funded PEARL project aims to take solar cell technology to the next level by creating flexible perovskite solar cells with carbon electrodes. It will employ scalable and environmentally friendly methods to process the resulting solar cells, enhancing their efficiency and durability while also significantly reducing both their cost and emissions. To achieve these objectives, the project will primarily focus on developing essential planar, conventional n-i-p, and n-i-c device architectures that incorporate low-temperature carbon pastes for the top electrodes.

Copper indium gallium selenide (CIGS) solar cells have achieved an impressive 23 % efficiency when equipped with a metallic back contact, demonstrating excellent stability. CIGS technology shows great promise for further development and enhancement. The EU-funded Hi-BITS project has set its sights on creating a groundbreaking device structure that incorporates both photon recycling and high bifaciality. This innovative structure is expected to boost CIGS efficiency to a remarkable 25 %. Based on this, the project will develop four new applications that harness the benefits of bifaciality and other integrated features to further enhance efficiency. In addition, Hi-BITS will strive to enhance existing components to overall increase efficiency, making these solar cells well-suited for various applications, including building integration, vehicles, and agriculture.
https://www.hi-bits.eu/

In RETRIEVE we aim to combine PV upstream value chain organizations with beyond state-of-the-art recycling processes and techniques to improve circularity within the PV sector. RETRIEVE targets the upcycling of the components of the End of Life (EoL) solar panels, enhancing the material quality to meet current requirements for re-introduction into the PV value chain. RETRIEVE will increase the circularity and minimize the environmental impact of the PV industry by developing and demonstrating cost effective recycling technologies for the different components of a solar module; recycle glass to current PV specifications, purify production waste and EoL silicon to solar grade quality, recover silver and heavy metals, and polymer valorization with carbon capture. The final goal is to demonstrate a closed-loop recycling process where recycled glass as well as silicon is re-used in state-of-the-art solar module production, turning the EoL PV panels into sources of new raw materials for the PV manufacture industry. In addition, future PV waste streams for EoL and production waste will be forecasted, and the market potential will be evaluated. By lowering the financial burden of material recovery and increasing the value after recovery, RETRIEVE makes the overall module recycling process more profitable, and the project opens new paths for commercialization. Business cases and market introduction strategies will be developed for a selection of the processes and products.

EVERPV’s objective is to provide EU with efficient solutions for a sustainable treatment of end-of-life PV panels and recovery of high purity and high integrity materials. Based on the grinding of PV panels waste from the backside and/or the use of IR lamps heating, EVERPV will demonstrate two innovative technologies to delaminate the different layers of the PV panel. Combined with recycling processes, it will enable to recover glass with less than 1% impurities, encapsulant and backsheet polymers with a purity over 99%, and silver with a purity of 99%. Besides, the project will cluster with other EU-funded consortia already addressing the recycling of silicon (e.g. PHOTORAMA) to provide with a global solution. The new delamination technologies will be respectively demonstrated at ENVIE recycling plant and at 9TECH to reach TRL7. The technology demonstrated during EVERPV project targets to process more than 3000 tons of solar panels per year, thus recovering enough raw materials recovered to produce more than 350 000 new panels per year by 2030. EVERPV will finally demonstrate the potential for reusability of recovered materials in several industrial value chains in particular in the PV industry. The project will lead a strategic analysis on the potential of new EoL panels circular value chains based on estimated PV waste generation together with environmental and societal impact assessments. EVERPV has gathered a consortium of 16 participants from 8 countries whose expertise ranges from solar PV materials and recycling processes (CEA, CSEM, ENEA, TEC), recyclers (ENVIE, 9TECH), process industries and materials suppliers (SGB, DTF, DPL, JBR), PV modules manufacturing (VAL), collecting and waste treatment organizations (SOREN, ERION), policy-making, business and training facilitators (SPE, UNITAR, BI).

Beyond building-integrated photovoltaics (BIPV), slowly but steadily gaining adoption and settling as a more mature, recognized and reliable technology, the increasing interest of IPV solutions has recently started to expand towards other market segments. A curious gaze at our nearest environment allows identifying endless opportunities in which the implementation of IPV solutions could be addressed, bringing synergies, innovation and added value to important market segments such as infrastructures, transport, agriculture, urban environment, low-power electronic devices, etc. This idyllic approach brings, nevertheless, important challenges in the manufacturing, product development and effective integration of these multifunctional PV devices over final applications due to the fundamentally different specifications coming from each sector, which hinders the offer of a ‘one-fits-all’ technological approach. In addition, customization and flexibility in design is still constrained by existing manufacturing capacity and sophistication degree, which is, as of today, very much oriented towards more standardized manufacturing processes based on traditional PV equipment and processes. In this context, SEAMLESS-PV is conceived to answer this challenge by addressing (1) the development of advanced flexible automated PV equipment manufacturing based on high efficiency c-Si technologies, (2) the upscale of new manufacturing processes presenting key features (e.g. lightness, enhanced integrability) and cost reductions that enable the seamless integration of PV over final applications and (3) the development of a set of IPV products demonstrating cost-competitiveness and compliance with market requirements and expectations. The project will demonstrate this new manufacturing capacity at pilot level and showcase the opportunity for European IPV manufacturers and end-users to unleash the potential of this sector.

The key objective of PEPPERONI is to enable large-scale production of such tandem PV modules in Europe by (i) demonstrating 26%-efficient modules on industrial scale; (ii) developing fabrication processes for high-volume manufacturing; (iii) extending the operational stability of tandems to meet market expectations (>30 yr); and (iv) removing any human health or environmental risk. To reach these objectives, PEPPERONI capitalises on the world-leading tandem PV expertise of a strong and complementary consortium: 4 equipment suppliers, 2 material suppliers, 1 service provider, 9 R&D institutes and universities that hold tandem efficiency world records, and one of the world's largest PV module manufacturers: PEPPERONI coordinator Q CELLS. When joining forces, their excellence puts PEPPERONI in the unique position to set up a tandem pilot line in Europe by 2026. This will establish a robust and competitive European innovation base and PV supply chain, putting all involved partners well on track towards GW-scale production of solar modules in Europe by 2030.

The EU-funded SOLARUP project aims to demonstrate ultrathin-film photovoltaic technology that is scalable, cost-effective, and environmentally friendly. SOLARUP’s innovation will rely on nanoengineering zinc phosphide (Zn3P2) – an earth-abundant material – for use as a semiconductor absorber and designing novel device architecture. Researchers target cell efficiency improvement of up to 15 %. The proposed solar energy conversion technology will reduce dependence on critical raw materials and overcome efficiency thresholds to unlock the future of flexible photovoltaic solar cells for mass deployment in smart buildings, soft robotics, wearable electronics and other consumer products. The project brings together six European teams with complementary expertise at the interface of Zn3P2 research, device architecture and life cycle analysis.

PROBONO brings together a European multidisciplinary consortium of 47 partners, construction and consulting entities, public asset service managers, municipalities, technology solution providers and experts, to turn the six European districts (PROBONO´s Living Labs) into Green Building Neighborhoods (GBN), with positive energy balance and zero carbon emissions: two large-scale demonstrators (Madrid and Dublin) and four living labs representing business/owner promoters of the green buildings and neighborhoods’ transition (Porto, Brussels, Aarhus, Prague). PROBONO will provide strong examples of how GBN's technological and social innovations can be applied, with a vision focused on building infrastructure and a renewed focus on people and sustainability, taking full advantage of digitalization and smart technologies for the benefit of society. The adoption of the PROBONO approach and innovations will be proposed through a range of participatory methods that promote stakeholders (including citizens) partaking in co-designing and co-delivering a sustainable GBN. PROBONO will provide GBN Strategic Planning Tools in spatial, economic, technical, environmental regulatory, and social context aligned with city and urban masterplans and policy frameworks. PROBONO will create evidence-based policy recommendations, standardization actions, and robust adoption and commercialization strategies supported by a capacity-building program and a European Alliance of GBN Innovation Clusters. PROBONO will provide a GBN Digital Twin (DT) implemented across the LLs as a virtual representation of associated GBN including operational assets that implicate environmental and efficiency KPI. A cloud-based decision support-planning tool will be created to develop an optimized design for carbon-neutral energy GBN systems incorporating PROBONO innovative solutions on GBN demand and response dynamics. The technological developments will include metering different utilities with electricity, gas, warm energy, cold energy, and water linked to Smart IoT gateway and Energy Optimisation middleware, all this combined with geothermal, PV, micro-turbines, efficient HVAC technologies, green roofs, custom insulation, and GB energy optimization, efficient energy storage and integrating EV charging value chain. To enhance wide-scale adoption and standard creation, PROBONO will contribute with evidence-based policy recommendations, standardization actions, and robust adoption and commercialization strategies.