Publication reviews progress in European photovoltaic research
The European Commission's Research DG has published an overview of EU funded research on photovoltaic energy, and called on researchers and entrepreneurs to enhance cooperation and to drive forward the development of this promising source of energy. 'We hope that providing this information will help to enhance scientific and technological excellence and boost cooperation between researchers, enterprises and users [...]. Our goal is to speed up the progress towards sustainable development,' states the foreword to the report. Also known as solar cells, photovoltaic cells work by transforming the photon energy in solar radiation directly into electrical energy without an intermediate mechanical or thermal process. In 2001, 15 per cent of total electricity generation originated from renewable energy sources, but the contribution of photovoltaics to this total remained very small, according to the report. However, photovoltaic generation has expanded steadily over the past ten years, recording an average of 30 per cent annual growth. Worldwide production of photovoltaic modules exceeded 550 MW in 2002, with more than 25 per cent of these being produced in Europe. The need for a strategic development of photovoltaic (PV) systems in Europe led to the foundation of PV-NET, a network which brought together representatives of all relevant research and development (R&D) and production areas in photovoltaics. The network encouraged increased communication between PV stakeholders through the organisation of expert meetings, workshops and symposia. This interaction resulted in the drafting of a PV roadmap, concluded at the end of 2003, which covered all technological, institutional and developmental areas. The roadmap is designed to give national and European decision makers a sound basis for their decisions and promote the achievement of the European Commission's target of a 30-fold increase in PV systems by the year 2010. Numerous PV research projects were carried out between 1999 and 2002 under the Fifth Framework Programme (FP5). In terms of materials, cells and modules, work was done in a range of areas, including the mass production of PV modules and the production of solar grade silicon at low cost. Other projects focused on the development of integrated PV systems and the improvement of safety and performance standards. Demonstration and dissemination activities were also funded under FP5. The SUNCITIES project worked on the full integration of PV into urban planning, while the PV-COOL consortium focused on solving the problem of reduced performance due to inadequate design of PV products. 'European Photovoltaics Projects: 1999-2002' offers a snapshot of the current state of European PV research and development, and should help researchers and entrepreneurs to formulate ideas for future projects in the area.