About the project
Electricity from solar cells is widely believed to constitute a major part of the energy mix in the future and is seen as a key technology in avoiding dangerous climate changes. A prognosis from IEA (Fig. 1a) predicts that 16% of the energy production in 2050 is going to be from PV assuming further price reduction. European initiatives (EERA, EIIs and Technology Platforms) aim in the most ambitious scenarios to have 12% of total European electricity consumption from PV sources within 2020. Currently the levelised cost of energy (LCOE) in Europe is 8.5ct/kWh. We believe that it is realistic in cooperation with our research partners in Europe to demonstrate technology that can enable an LCOE of 3 ct/kWh. as shown in Fig. 1b illustrating the target for a Horisont 2020 proposal coordinated by SINTEF. The Norwegian Laboratory for Silicon-based Solar Cell Technology will enable infrastructure investments necessary to effectively address the tasks where Norwegian research institutions and industry will make a difference in reaching this ambitious goal.
Financing
Norges Forskningsråd via SINTEF
Cooperation
SINTEF Materials and Chemistry, IFE, UiO, NTNU