Pepper STI

FP7 European project

PEPPER

PHOTOVOLTAICS is emerging as a major power source due to its numerous environmental and economic benefits:
- PV systems are safe and reliable,
- The energy payback time is constantly decreasing,
- It can be aesthetically integrated in buildings,
- It contributes to improving the security of Europe energy supply,
- It creates thousand of jobs.

At the moment, photovoltaic systems are still more expensive than the grid-supplied electricity produced from conventional sources but continuous investigations and innovations contribute to narrow the gap and GRID PARITY is expected very soon in regions of south of Europe.

Especially, the leading European equipment supplier for THIN FILM SILICON TECHNOLOGY TEL Solar, also coordinator of this project, recently announced two world records:
- Reduced manufacturing costs down to 0.5€/Wp with the introduction on the market of the new production line "ThinFab™",
- A new champion MICROMORPH™ lab cell developped in cooperation with Corning Incorporated with 11.9 percent stabilized efficiency confirmed by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) in the US.

The present project PEPPER, financed under the 7th framework programme of the European Commission, aims at investigating the major process steps in tandem-junction MICROMORPH™ manufactoring lines. It focusses on next generation equipment, in order to simultaneously further reduce the manufacturing costs, and to achieve higher conversion efficiencies.  The project started on the 1st of September 2010 and will last 3 years until 31st of August 2013.

 

 

”ThinFab” and “MICROMORPH” are trademarks of TEL Solar AG.