Knowledge Transfer Centre

The Centre for Solar Energy Research is an established Knowledge Transfer Centre with substantial knowledge transfer and research experience in Photovoltaics. The purpose of the Knowledge Transfer Centre project is to provide Welsh industry working in the thin film PV supply chain with a comprehensive range of PV Solar services. The services will range from materials and device characterisation through to customised thin film deposition with a focus towards a rapid growth market in PV.

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The project will;

• Enable Wales to take advantage of a growing global market in thin films by offering the experience and expertise of CSER to businesses in a new market sector, allowing businesses to harness the opportunities to secure a market share in thin film PV.

• Be based in a Convergence area in Wales and will aim to provide assistance to mainly companies also located in the Convergence area but will not rule out Non Convergence if it will lead to subsequent benefits to Convergence areas.

• Fill essential gaps in CSER’s service provision for thin film PV by providing new analytical equipment (not available in Wales) and production/process technologies (not available in the UK) to the market. This will provide businesses with information relating to composition (raw material and cell) and allow new prototype or process development without reducing standard production. Using CSER’s research reactors for R&D rather than reducing their own production capacity by altering their manufacturing process will allow businesses to carry out high risk innovative developments.

• Enhance the current capabilities of CSER by working in a new market sector and, in combination with the facilities on offer in Technium OpTIC, provide a more holistic solution to analysing various stages of technology across the breadth of the thin film supply chain in PV manufacture. The project will provide a base for interaction with industries in Wales that already have core business activity in PV but also will allow for interaction with new collaborative partners by identifying businesses that are emerging into the PV market. The world class research being carried out by CSER is a significant attractor to inward investment of thin film PV industry to Wales and the KTC will enable resources to be focussed on this opportunity.