Solar industry association cheers Germany's €50 million of additional support for R&D

This announcement was made by Germany's Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMU) and of Education and Research (BMBF).

The aim is to promote the alignment of the photovoltaic industry in Germany particularly innovative and high-end market segments.

"This money is well spent [and] will trigger considerable additional investment and strengthen the photovoltaic industry in Germany," said Carsten Granular, chief executive of the Federal Solar Industry Association (BSW-Solar). "Large R & D efforts are needed to secure the area of solar energy in Germany lead in innovation."

But Granular added that while the funding is much-appreciated, "more reliable political conditions' are also needed to ensure that renewables continue to proliferate in Germany.

The new funding was made available under the auspices of the Photovoltaics Innovation Alliance, an umbrella organization under which 26 separate research and development projects are being carried out to advance photovoltaic innovation.

Within this cluster, research institutions, photovoltaic manufacturers, plant manufacturers and suppliers jointly develop solutions to make solar power more efficient in the future. Research teams are currently working to increase the efficiency of solar cells and modules, increase the durability of the components, and  increase the efficiency of production processes.

The new funding will support research focusing on:

• System solutions for the changing markets: fully optimized, centralized and decentralized energy supply systems for economical photovoltaic operation, including energy management and intelligent use of memory;
• Production Design for an efficient, cost-effective production: innovative manufacturing techniques and cost-effective PV production including inline process monitoring for efficient integrated manufacturing solutions and to develop new, industry-relevant material systems;
• Quality PV modules for positioning in the international competition: new module concepts as a basis for cost reductions and increases in performance and especially for a significant improvement of the module quality (durability, degradation, recycling, etc.) to USP for the German PV manufacturers open.

For additional information:

Photovoltaics Innovation Alliance