GRECO kick-off in Madrid: advancing photovoltaics through “open science”
Participants from partner institutions at the GRECO kick off in Madrid on 25. June 2018.
The Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin (HZB) is one of ten international partners in the GRECO pilot project funded under the European Union framework programme Horizon 2020. They intend to jointly test OpenScience approaches for exchanging knowledge and research data in order to accelerate the development of innovative PV products worldwide. GRECO will receive three million euros in funding through 2021.
The kick-off meeting took place in Madrid end of June 2018. The Institute for Solar Energy at the Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (UPM) is coordinating the research project that will see industry organisations, companies, government, academia and scientific organisations working together.
HZB contributions: materials data base and videotutorials
Dr. Eva Unger and her Helmholtz Young Investigator Group at the HZB are participants in GRECO: “We are contributing our expertise in the field of perovskite absorber layers for tandem photovoltaics and intend to establish a materials database in which key parameters and data from various absorbers can be brought together and made available in an open manner”, explains the chemist. She is also planning a video tutorial on the measurement and characterisation of solar cells. “Characteristic current-voltage curves are often not informative enough for determining the efficiency of perovskite solar cells”, explains the PV expert. The video is intended to contribute to establishing uniform quality standards for measuring solar cells worldwide.
Transparency and innovative products
Through use of Open Science Tools such as Open Access, Open Data, Open Education, Open Notebooks, Open Software, and Open Peer Review, GRECO wants to create complete transparency and exchange in the conduct of research. “This will enable new scientific concepts to be quickly applied by third parties, accelerating progress”, commented coordinators Dr. Ana B. Cristóbal and Prof. Carlos del Cañizo of the Universidad Politécnica de Madrid.
Innovative products to be developed by GRECO include repair and recycling methods for solar modules, precise modelling of power yields over timescales of decades (ageing), solar-powered irrigation systems, innovative solar modules as well as PV heat pump systems for use in various areas of everyday life.
Scientific Partners: Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, Pompeu Fabra University, Universidad de Évora, Central Solar Energy Laboratory of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin, Reiner Lemoine Institute, and Universidade de São Paulo
Industrial partners: Insolight SA (Switzerland) and the Euro-Mediterrean Irrigators Association (Spain)
In addition, the project is receiving support from the region of Andalusia, Spain.
GRECO stands for Fostering a Next GeneRation of European Photovoltaic SoCiety through Open Science
- Protons against cancer: New research beamline for innovative radiotherapiesTogether with the University of the Bundeswehr Munich, the HZB has set up a new beamline for preclinical research. It will enable experiments on biological samples on innovative radiation therapies with protons.
- Battery research with the HZB X-ray microscopeNew cathode materials are being developed to further increase the capacity of lithium batteries. Multilayer lithium-rich transition metal oxides (LRTMOs) offer particularly high energy density. However, their capacity decreases with each charging cycle due to structural and chemical changes. Using X-ray methods at BESSY II, teams from several Chinese research institutions have now investigated these changes for the first time with highest precision: at the unique X-ray microscope, they were able to observe morphological and structural developments on the nanometre scale and also clarify chemical changes.
- Hydrogen: Breakthrough in alkaline membrane electrolysersA team from the Technical University of Berlin, HZB, IMTEK (University of Freiburg) and Siemens Energy has developed a highly efficient alkaline membrane electrolyser that approaches the performance of established PEM electrolysers. What makes this achievement remarkable is the use of inexpensive nickel compounds for the anode catalyst, replacing costly and rare iridium. At BESSY II, the team was able to elucidate the catalytic processes in detail using operando measurements, and a theory team (USA, Singapore) provided a consistent molecular description. In Freiburg, prototype cells were built using a new coating process and tested in operation. The results have been published in the prestigious journal Nature Catalysis.