IEA PVPS – Photovoltaic Power Systems
Along with wind power, photovoltaics represents one of the cornerstones for the transition to a sustainable energy system. Coupled with storage, e-mobility, heat and cooling supply and hydrogen technologies, it offers a wide range of potential applications. And the continuously falling prices make photovoltaics increasingly competitive.
The Technological Collaboration Programme (TCP) „Photovoltaic Power Systems“ of the International Energy Agency (IEA) contributes to strengthening international cooperation in this technology field. The joint work and the exchange of knowledge and experience promotes developments and also international expansion. In order to achieve their common goal, the 27 member states and other sponsors are focusing on a number of measures, including joint research projects. The research contents are system- and application-oriented.
Support projects and documentation of global development
In a number of so-called Tasks, the members work on various topics, such as environmental, health and safety issues or the further development of the technology with a view to concrete applications. One of the current topics, for example, is the integration of photovoltaic modules in buildings or vehicles. In addition to the research activities, PVPS also takes care of the presentation of the global development of photovoltaics as content of Task 1. This is something that all member countries are working on.
In Germany, the individual Tasks are often dealt with in concrete support projects. A current projekt sponsored by the BMWi, for example, is concerned with recycling processes. To this end, the project partners are investigating both technical-economic and ecological issues of recycling, as well as potential take-back systems and their logistics.
Germany is active in seven of the currently eight ongoing Tasks of TCP PVPS. Of these, Task 13 "Quality" is managed by the German side as Operating Agent. In Task 14 "Grid Integration", Germany is the Deputy Operating Agent. In addition, Germany, together with Switzerland, will assume the role of Operating Agent in the second phase of Task 15 (January 2020 - December 2023).
Year of foundation: 1993
Member states: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Chile, China, Denmark, European Union, Finland, France, Germany, Israel, Italy, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Mexico, Morocco, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, Turkey, United States
Other members (sponsors): The European Commission, Solar Power Europe, the Smart Electric Power Alliance (SEPA), the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA)
Funding: Task-shared (Task 1 partly cost-shared)
Eight research projects, known as Tasks, are currently established within the IEA-PVPS programme.
Contacts
Delegate: Christoph Hünnekes, Germany (ch.huennekes@fz-juelich.de)
Alternate: Klaus Prume, Germany (k.prume@fz-juelich.de)