REPHLECT | Recovering Europe´s PHotovoltaics LEadership through high Concentration Technology

Summary
Focusing the Sun’s rays onto a piece of paper with a magnifying glass may sound as a children’s game, but it lies over the same principle that Photovoltaic (PV) technology, which can potentially lead Europe to obtain energy at a lower price and with the least environmental impact.
In order to achieve it, PV’s efficiency and its associated costs need to be improved. REPHLECT project tackles both factors thanks to an innovative combination of advanced High Concentration PV (HCPV) technology and a close to the end market model.
HCPV, due to its use of very high efficiency PV cells, is currently the solar technology with the highest cost reduction potential (85% in the last 5 years). REPHLECT’s HCPV builds up on the excellent results obtained in the FP7 project “NGCPV”, in which concentrator cells, module and system efficiency were improved. Now BSQ Solar, one of NGCPV’s partners, will take a step forward by designing a module that will reach a concentration of 1000X from the 820X developed by NGCPV, and at the same time including innovative features.
To reduce the associated costs, REPHLECT will design components that allow local manufacturing and will migrate assembly lines to Satellite Production Centres (SPCs) located in highly irradiated areas to produce the panels close to the market. The only most IP sensitive part, the receivers, will be developed in BSQ headquarters in Madrid.
In order words, REPHLECT intends to replicate the white box paradigm which introduced the ultimate commoditization of the computer hardware industry, by challenging the present industry model based in huge centralized upscaling in Asia.
The project will be piloted in-house and the assembly satellite production will be demonstrated at the University of Al Akhawayn, in Morocco.
REPHLECT counts already with letters of support of more than 15 prestigious companies which are very interested in its business model.
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More information & hyperlinks
Web resources: https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/683928
Start date: 01-08-2015
End date: 30-04-2018
Total budget - Public funding: 2 333 716,25 Euro - 1 633 601,00 Euro
Cordis data

Original description

Focusing the Sun’s rays onto a piece of paper with a magnifying glass may sound as a children’s game, but it lies over the same principle that Photovoltaic (PV) technology, which can potentially lead Europe to obtain energy at a lower price and with the least environmental impact.
In order to achieve it, PV’s efficiency and its associated costs need to be improved. REPHLECT project tackles both factors thanks to an innovative combination of advanced High Concentration PV (HCPV) technology and a close to the end market model.
HCPV, due to its use of very high efficiency PV cells, is currently the solar technology with the highest cost reduction potential (85% in the last 5 years). REPHLECT’s HCPV builds up on the excellent results obtained in the FP7 project “NGCPV”, in which concentrator cells, module and system efficiency were improved. Now BSQ Solar, one of NGCPV’s partners, will take a step forward by designing a module that will reach a concentration of 1000X from the 820X developed by NGCPV, and at the same time including innovative features.
To reduce the associated costs, REPHLECT will design components that allow local manufacturing and will migrate assembly lines to Satellite Production Centres (SPCs) located in highly irradiated areas to produce the panels close to the market. The only most IP sensitive part, the receivers, will be developed in BSQ headquarters in Madrid.
In order words, REPHLECT intends to replicate the white box paradigm which introduced the ultimate commoditization of the computer hardware industry, by challenging the present industry model based in huge centralized upscaling in Asia.
The project will be piloted in-house and the assembly satellite production will be demonstrated at the University of Al Akhawayn, in Morocco.
REPHLECT counts already with letters of support of more than 15 prestigious companies which are very interested in its business model.

Status

CLOSED

Call topic

SIE-01-2015

Update Date

27-10-2022
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Horizon 2020
H2020-EU.2. INDUSTRIAL LEADERSHIP
H2020-EU.2.3. INDUSTRIAL LEADERSHIP - Innovation In SMEs
H2020-EU.2.3.1. Mainstreaming SME support, especially through a dedicated instrument
H2020-SMEINST-2-2015
SIE-01-2015 Stimulating the innovation potential of SMEs for a low carbon energy system
H2020-EU.3. SOCIETAL CHALLENGES
H2020-EU.3.3. SOCIETAL CHALLENGES - Secure, clean and efficient energy
H2020-EU.3.3.0. Cross-cutting call topics
H2020-SMEINST-2-2015
SIE-01-2015 Stimulating the innovation potential of SMEs for a low carbon energy system