In the AMPERE 3 years timeframe, three Work Packages managed the non technical activities: the project management and coordination; the project cost-benefit analysis, demonstrating project cost competiveness and assessing the social environmental and economic sustainability; the project exploitation, developing the business models and industrial prospective scenarios and assessing the GW scaling up.
AMPERE Dissemination and Communication Work Package promoted internal workshops, project meetings, International Conferences participation, publications with high impact factor and managed the communication activities, through AMPERE website, Facebook and LinkedIn pages, and a Youtube video channel. AMPERE organized in November 2019 an European workshop to show its main achievements; and two Training and School stages at CEA-INES in 2018 and at EGP-3SUN in 2019. Press Releases have been produced and the news relaunched by more than 100 among radio, TV, newspapers and sectorial magazines.
Four core technical work packages developed HJT innovative solutions, covering the whole HJT Module process fabrication, from silicon manufacturing to cell and module manufacturing processes, as well as materials and new design concepts. All the efforts concluded in outstanding efficiencies produced by different partners directly transferable or already transferred to industry, demonstrating the technology efficiency and cost advantages and showing the path for the next generation of HJT in Europe.
The main highlight was the installation and ramp-up of EGP Catania HJT cell and module production line, fully automated and optimized in terms of performance, qualified in the second half of 2019, and currently in production ramp-up to its maximum nominal capacity of 200 MWp/y. Customized automation tools and manufacturing equipment have been designed and qualified, fulfilling the HJT challenging specificities. In order to measure and improve the product qualityand the production line performance, in terms of efficiency, throughput and scrap, innovative Manufacturing Execution System and Advanced Statistical Process solutions have been deployed.
Reliability tests and simulations have been performed to evaluate the long term impact of these new concepts. The validation of material selection has been demonstrated via outdoor monitoring in two sites in Italy and France, to evaluate performances in different climates, demonstrating the superior production of HJT modules. Various models have been developed to predict the module degradation.