INL hosted workshop on research and development of photovoltaics
February 11, 2015
European projections show that in 2050, 15% to 30% of all generated electricity will come from photovoltaics, making it a field of strategic interest for Portugal and Europe. Among others, this was one of the motivations for the workshop that took place Monday (9th of February) at the International Iberian Nanotechnology Laboratory (INL), in Braga.
“Portugal has a very significant number of researchers working in different aspects of photovoltaics and this workshop was used to identify synergy opportunities between the groups. There is no doubt that this is a strategic sector for Portugal and for Europe”, said Pedro Salomé, a researcher from INL and co-organizer of the workshop that gathered over 40 photovoltaic specialists in Braga, Portugal.
Along with researchers from INL and Laboratório Nacional de Energia e Geologia (LNEG), the other co-organising partner, the following institutions also participated: Universidade do Minho, Faculdade de Engenharia da Universidade do Porto, Universidade de Aveiro, Universidade de Coimbra, Faculdade de Ciências e Instituto Superior Técnico da Universidade de Lisboa and Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia da Universidade Nova de Lisboa. There were also observers from the industry taking part in the meeting, namely Martifer Solar, Open Renewables and Edp Inovação.
In total, 42 researchers attended the meeting and being photovoltaics a transversal area of science, there were researchers from different areas present: physics, chemistry, engineering, material scientists, nanotechnology, among others.
The meeting was divided in two sessions. In the first one, each group and institution presented their capacities and research interests. In the second session, followed by a presentation of Doctor António Joyce from LNEG about the Portuguese participation in the European network EERA (European Energy Research Alliance) and in the European project CHEETAH, there was a debate moderated by Professor António Vallêra from Faculdade de Ciências da Universidade de Lisboa.
As a result of the debate, an installation committee was established to promote the creation of a Portuguese network of research and development in photovoltaics.
In the near future, the network will allow researchers to establish an important tool for internal communication, sharing of knowledge and tools between researchers and potential stakeholders (industry, governments, etc.) on a field of strong strategic interest for Portugal and Europe.
