Project Scope
30 PV demonstration systems with an overall generation capacity of more than 1,218 kWp were installed and are monitored by PV specialists, technical universities or academies in 10 European countries, among them 5 CEE countries. The systems are either highly cost-effective or very innovative (e.g. for thin-film a-Si technology, CIS technology, CdTe technology).
An intensive and standardised performance control procedure satisfying up-to-date requirements is applied. After the set-up of the PV systems by the installers and the universities, the latter and the project coordinator WIP are measuring, assessing, and scientifically working with the performance data, communicating them with the manufacturer and thus contributing to measurable system efficiency improvements. By publishing relevant data after a plausibility check, an international comparative performance assessment becomes possible. The project explicitly involves the students of universities - the decision makers of tomorrow’s energy sector.
Project Structure
The consortium with its 22 partners consists of five different contractor groups:
- WIP (DE), with its explicit experience in the co-ordination of multinational PV demonstration projects in EU and CEE countries, initiated and is coordinating this ambitious project. Further on WIP is responsible (a) for the definition of the requirement catalogue for PV systems and DAS technology, (b) the verification of installation activities including selected system acceptance tests and (c) for the tracking of component and system performance which is realised via a centralised collection and regular evaluation of PV system performance data from all PV Enlargement PV systems.
- Experienced companies and/or manufacturers responsible for several PV system installations per country, such as ATB (AT), Gehrlicher (DE) and SOLARTEC (CZ)
- Partners responsible for PV system installation at one site and for system operation. Most of these partners are university partners, such as the FH Munich (DE), the TU Gabrovo (BG), the Agricultural University of Athens (EL), the Szent Istvan University of Gödöllö (HU), the Florence University (IT), the Warsaw University of Technology (PL), and the Politechnical University of Bucharest RO). Two of the partners from this category stem from national energy laboratories, such as the Central Laboratory of Solar Energy; New Energy Sources CL SENES (BG) and the Centre for Renewable Energy Sources CRES (EL).
- University partners which are supplied with a PV system by a ‘Contractor (2)’ and which are responsible for PV system operation. These partners are: the Vienna University of Technology (AT), the Danube University Krems (AT), the Charles University Prague (CZ), the Brno University of Technology (CZ), the TU Ostrava (CZ), the University of West Bohemia (CZ) and the TU Liberec (CZ)
- The Swiss partner, the laboratory SUPSI-LEEE-TISO of the University of Applied Sciences, participates via a special contract between the EC and Switzerland. Its participation enables the consortium to perform valuable independent and standardised power tests of the different PV module types to be installed by the consortium.
Expected Results
Europe’s first competitive and large-scale comparison of very innovative PV technologies was made within this project. Average system costs were as low as 6,7 Euro/Wp and the most cost-efficient sub-systems costed less than 5,0 Euro/Wp at a system size of < 50 kWp.
The PV systems (each > 10 kWp / 70m²) were set up at visible places, often being the first grid-connected and/or largest installation of the country, which resulted in increased public attention.
By bringing together technical universities or academies as well as PV companies/manufacturers both from EU-15 and CEE countries in one project, the transfer of latest PV know-how was considerably enhanced. By involving leading technical universities/academies in a demonstration and monitoring action with 30 PV systems, the manufacturers could directly benefit from the scientific results achieved. The publication of the measurement data created a competitive atmosphere among the manufacturers involved.
The project improved the social and economic cohesion among the EU and the enlargement countries. Finally, “PV Enlargement” is an ideal platform for the presentation, dissemination and further development of the EC’s RE related policies on a broad European level.
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