European Collaboration for identification of PV research and markets opportunities, Socio-economics, studies, performance assessment and dissemination of PV and PV-thermal technology

Duration: 2003 – 2006 ● Client: European Commission (FP6) ● WIP Role: Policy development, Communication and Dissemination ● www.pvcatapult.org

The overall aim of the coordination action PV Catapult was to ensure that the European PV sector can fully benefit from the expansion of the PV market.

The approach of PV Catapult was to identify new routes that decrease costs for PV electricity and improve the performance and reliability PV and PV Thermal systems. New market approaches were discussed to better satisfy the customer's needs, as well as innovative finance schemes to fully exploit or extend national and European instruments designed to support environment-friendly energy technologies such as PV.

The PV Catapult consortium was composed of 19 contractors: representatives of research institutes, universities and PV industry 1. The project, coordinated by ECN, was divided in twelve work packages (WP's), including management that combine to 3 sub projects:

1. EPIA addresses technological, marketing, socio-economic and financial issues, based on a general SWOT analysis for the European PV industry; WIP was responsible for various activities within this sub-project
2. ECN brings together all the key players in R&D and the industrial PV thermal energy (PVT) field to built up a strong network;
3. CREST improves module performance measurements and modelling, setting a basis for standardisation.

Cross-fertilization was identifed cross-links between the different activities, maximising the synergy effects and bringing together the different stakeholders.