Project description
Clearing the way for selenium in solar cells
Selenium is emerging as a highly promising material for novel photovoltaic applications. Unlike many traditional materials used in solar cell production, including cadmium and lead, selenium is non-toxic, stable under varying environmental conditions and, importantly, abundant. With the support of the Marie Sklodowska Curie Actions programme, the SUNSECA project will explore ways to enhance its performance, focusing on improving energy conversion efficiency and eliminating toxic components from the fabrication process. SUNSECA will target potential applications ranging from indoor energy harvesting to integrated systems and Internet of Things devices.
Objective
In the incoming decades, Europe will face a surge in energy demand, driven by electrification, digitalization and the need of decarbonization. The European Union’s Green Deal urges a transition to renewable energy, targeting climate neutrality by 2050. Photovoltaic (PV) energy has emerged as a fundamental resource for this shift, offering scalable and decentralized power generation. However, meeting these goals demands next generation PV technologies that are sustainable, highly efficient and affordable. Among the emerging materials, selenium (Se) is a promising candidate for sustainable PV technologies due to its low toxicity, large abundance and high stability. Very recently, Se-based solar cells achieve efficiencies of 8% in outdoor and up to 15% for indoor applications. Despite its big potential, several challenges remain. One main barrier is the reduction of recombination losses to enhance the efficiency by optimizing interfacial band alignment and incorporating advanced charge transport layers. Additionally, film morphology and orientation strongly affect the charge transport and recombination dynamics within the solar cell. Another relevant issue is the replacement of toxic materials in the fabrication process. The project SUNSECA aims to develop Se-based PV devices for novel applications such as indoor, integrated PV and IoT. Research will focus on innovative approaches in the fabrication and post-deposition processes to optimize the structural and electrooptical properties of the Se thin films on different substrates. The proposed processes can be transferable to industry and present viable alternatives to the conventional ones. Different electron/hole transport layers as well as the interfaces will be investigated, and only inorganic and non-toxic materials will be used to ensure the stability and sustainability of the PV devices. SUNSECA will progress with the fabrication of novel high-efficient tandem devices architectures using Se-based top solar cells.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
- engineering and technology environmental engineering energy and fuels renewable energy solar energy
- natural sciences computer and information sciences internet internet of things
- natural sciences computer and information sciences internet transport layer
- engineering and technology materials engineering coating and films
- engineering and technology environmental engineering energy and fuels energy conversion
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Keywords
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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HORIZON.1.2 - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA)
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Topic(s)
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
HORIZON-TMA-MSCA-PF-EF - HORIZON TMA MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
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Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) HORIZON-MSCA-2025-PF
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Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
28006 Madrid
Spain
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.