By CEA Tech
The photovoltaic solar platform’s mission is to contribute to the development of a solar industry in France. And, with more than 200 employees and 100 industrial partners from SMBs to corporations, the platform is one of Europe’s largest PV R&D facilities. The platform’s silicon R&D focuses on materials and cells, with the particular goal of yield enhancement; it’s solar module research aims to optimize performance. Later-stage R&D takes place at experimental PV facilities and at reduced-scale and life-sized solar power plants. The platform also works on scaling up the technologies developed for industrial rollout. The platform runs its Heterojunction LabFab a pilot production line capable of manufacturing heterojunction PV cells under a European partnership with leading equipment manufacturer Meyer Burger. The platform also helps France-based solar-energy SMBs develop their export sales and build turnkey PV solar plants. R&D AREAS: PV solar materials, equipment, and processes NOTABLE EQUIPMENT: The Cadarache CSP plant (1,300 sq. m of mirrors) coupled with a steam turbine with three-stage thermal storage; 1.4 MW gas loop at 1,250 °C; 120 bar steam loop at 500 °C KEY FIGURES: - 15,000 sq. m of facilities, including 2,000 sq. m of clean rooms - 200 research scientists and technicians - € 100 million in equipment - 30 new patents filed per year, portfolio of more than 100 patents
