Enel Green Power (EGP) has partnered with the Italian Institute for Microelectronics and Microsystems (IMM) of the National Research Council (NRC) to create a dedicated laboratory to explore renewable energy technologies, and in particular, develop bifacial PV modules.
The new institution will be located within the Enel Innovation Lab at Passo Martino, near Catania in Sicily. The installation of the new lab, with a core of researchers highly specialized in the science and technology of materials and devices, is intended to develop the site as an Innovation Campus and promote the growth of start-ups in the renewable energy sector.
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As well as the development technologies for bifacial modules, the lab’s activities will mainly focus on the development of solar cells and high-efficiency PV systems, with a special focus on reliability and cost, EGP has said.
Advanced structures for silicon solar cells will also be studied and developed in order to increase the efficiency of power generation, as well as high-efficiency and low-cost generation technologies to be used to mimic a process similar to photosynthesis with artificial structures.
“We work in a challenging and rapidly evolving energy environment, so we have to forge synergies that enable us to be on the cutting edge and bring more reliable and sustainable solutions to the market,” said Riccardo Amoroso, head of Innovation and Sustainability for Enel Green Power. “We are proud of this promising collaboration with a top-level organisation such as the NRC and of having created it at the Innovation Lab in Catania, our hub for technological excellence.”
“The joint EGP-NRC initiative seeks to create a highly collaborative environment to foster knowledge exchange and innovative ideas,” said Guglielmo Fortunato, director of IMM-NRC. “The IMM has a long tradition in public-private initiatives, with laboratories at no fewer than two STMicroelectronics facilities (Catania and Agrate) for over 20 years, a winning model for working with Italian industry, which we can now apply with Enel.”