A new R&D centre now provides Schmid with the ability to work with customers on processes and new technologies from the wafer through to the module, making it the only system provider worldwide to offer complete vertical integration for R&D projects, according to the company.
A 6000 m² solar technology centre is now operational at the former factory of SEAG in Dunningen, which compliments its existing technology centre for solar cells in Freudenstadt, Germany. The company has also established the “Schmid Photovoltaic Innovation Center of Expertise (SPICE) at the University of Constance, which includes basic and applied science solar projects.
Schmid noted that basic research was a core necessity for companies that are involved in developing and producing innovative products for the global solar market and crucial for Germany remaining an industrial nation.
According to Prof. Giso Hahn, of the University of Constance, a 40-strong photovoltaic department in the faculty of physics, is already functioning and cooperating with Schmid.
