nuovi Concetti, mAteriali e tecnologie per l’iNtegrazione del fotoVoltAico negli edifici in uno scenario di generazione diffuSa

This project proposal has been conceived and prepared by a group of 8 partners, 6 research organisations and two companies, with an extensive track record of research activities in the field of photovoltaics. All of them have participated in the definition of the R&I priorities of the PV sector in the Italian contribution to the PV Implementation Plan of the SET Plan, and in the follow-up, activities supported by the Horizon2020 Project “PV IMPACT”. The low-TRL research activities included in this project are part of a coordinated effort to support the development of a new energy value chain based on diffused generation of solar electricity in the built environment. The focus of the first 5 WPs of the project is on materials whose fundamental properties are key to address specific functions of integrated PV cells and modules: transparency (WP1), flexible integration in architectural components (WP2), colour and aesthetics (WP3), high efficiency (WP4), intelligent energy management (WP5). WP1 and WP2 are coordinated by the CNR in collaboration with the University of Torino and Milano Bicocca respectively.

Their internationally renowned expertise in materials science is essential to tackle challenging research topics like the construction of efficient solar cells which are fully transparent to visible light and the demonstration of piezo-photovoltaic cells whose radically new device architecture could trigger a paradigm shift in solar cell technology. WP3 and WP4, despite being low TRL, are directly connected to technological challenges which are already of interest for the PV industry. Engineering the colour of PV modules while minimising the loss in efficiency relies on the development of efficient photoactive compounds which will be studied and tested by the CNR in collaborations with EURAC and Futurasun, a leading Italian PV company. Developing new metamaterials to abate the cost of high efficiency solar cells currently used in concentrator photovoltaics, is the objective of WP4, led by RSE in collaboration with solar cell manufacturer CESI, whose long-term vision is to create a new type of hybrid PV module combining concentrator with flat pane technologies. Finally, Polytechnical University of Torino will address a key task for the sustainability of integrated photovoltaics, that is intelligent and diffuse integration of photovoltaics with storage. Once again materials science is key to find solutions to combine PV devices with diffuse short-term and mid-term storage, sensing and control. WP6 is designed to be an envelope activity, where dissemination is not just a showcase for the results of each WP and Task, but it is set up to highlight the synergies between the different activities towards the long-term objectives of the BIPV sector including environmental and economic sustainability. To maximise the effectiveness of this action, a new augmented-reality tool combined with digital twins of real BIPV sites (activities by CNR and EURAC), will be used to “see” the potential impact of the future photovoltaic products based on the materials studied in this project. Specifications of these virtual (future) products will be extrapolated from the results of the project and, thanks to the new AR/DT tools, an onsite comparison with current commercial products will be possible in real time. The high-level strategic objective of this project is to serve as springboard for the establishment of a long-term national strategic partnership of the PV R&I community.