CSEM acquires photovoltaic center
The Swiss Research and Development Center CSEM is investing in photovoltaics: a new clean room and a pilot production facility will help improve PV technologies and expand the range of applications.
CSEM opens the latest facilities of its Photovoltaic Center (PV-center). More than 1000 square meters of clean rooms and laboratories for the production and testing of solar modules complete the existing infrastructure and allow researchers to advance their work, initiated three years ago, on the valorization of solar energy for the economy and society.
With 500 square meters of clean room and 600 square meters of laboratories for the production and testing of photovoltaic modules, the PV Center is now fully operational. The center offers its 50 employees a unique as well as optimal working environment to improve and test various photovoltaic technologies and thus expand their range of applications.
Aimed at the industry
"With this new infrastructure, which is unique in Switzerland, we are able to expand the competitiveness of Swiss companies," enthuses Prof. Christophe Ballif, director of the PV Center. "Although solar energy is developing rapidly, its potential is still incompletely exploited." Three years after its opening, the PV-center enjoys a reputation that extends far beyond Switzerland's borders. Successful contributions have been made by more efficient heterojunction silicon cells (HJT) or the world's first white and colored solar panels, which have been welcomed by architects.
Achieve energy targets
"Photovoltaics occupy a special place in the range of technologies developed by CSEM," notes Mario El-Khoury, Director General of CSEM. "The democratization process of this energy opens the opportunity for the world to dream of a clean future without sacrificing the quality of life. This desire is at the heart of our company." The work of Professor Christophe Ballif and his team aims to increase the traction of solar energy so that the Confederation can achieve its energy goals. The Federal Council is aware of this role. It provides financial support to the center, which collaborates with numerous Swiss industrial partners and research institutions, most notably the Photovoltaic Laboratory of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne (EPFL) in Neuchâtel.
