EDF and TOTAL, the CNRS (the French National Centre for Scientific Research) and the Ecole Polytechnique, associated with AIR LIQUIDE, HORIBA JOBIN YVON and RIBER have announced the creation of the Institut Photovoltaïque d’Ile-de-France (IPVF), a project selected by France’s Commission for Future Investments as an Institute for Excellence in Carbon-free Energy.
The IPVF will be one of the five largest centres worldwide, conducting research into new generation photovoltaic solar systems. It will be based at the Paris Saclay campus, a French centre of excellence in scientific research, and will eventually bring together almost 180 researchers, lecturers and students. The IPVF will be a driver for national and European policies on the development of renewable energies.
Within the IPVF, the partners will jointly pursue research and development activities aimed at improving the efficiency and competitiveness of existing photovoltaic cells and modules and developing new thin-layer technologies and advanced concepts.
The IPVF will be essential for the future of a high solar industry in France and at the same time will place an emphasis on the education and training of high-level specialists and on the development of extensive partnerships with other research centres sited at the Plateau de Saclay, with key global industrial players in the solar sector and with SMEs and SMIs in the Paris region.
A number of companies – equipment manufacturers, suppliers or integrated players in the photovoltaic sector – have already announced their intention of engaging with the IPVF by offering technical and human support for the institute’s research and teaching activities.
