RESEARCHNEWS SRC initiates smart energy research 8
SEMICONDUCTOR RESEARCH CORPORATION (SRC) has announced a $5 million industry-university partnership devoted to bringing clean, reliable and efficient energy systems and technologies to the marketplace. Founding industry members include ABB, Applied Materials, Bosch, First Solar, IBM, Nexans and Tokyo Electron. The Energy Research Initiative (ERI) will team companies from semiconductors and other energy-related sectors with university research centres to address the world’s need for smart alternative energy sources and prepare students with the technical skills required for the burgeoning industry. Initial research will address the need for new modelling and simulation tools to support the development of improved photovoltaic devices and the development of systems and technologies to enable an efficient, reliable and secure smart grid electricity infrastructure with integrated renewable energy resources.
The ERI will initially address two critical
areas for efficient distribution of renewable energy resources: photovoltaics and systems and technologies to enable and optimize smart grids.
A Photovoltaic Research Centre will be established at
Purdue University to address the performance, cost, reliability and manufacturing challenges of photovoltaics technologies. The centre will leverage Purdue’s extensive modelling/simulation expertise and national Network for Computational Nanotechnology framework to provide enabling analytical models and simulation tools for photovoltaic manufacturers, much as Purdue has done for the semiconductor industry.
A Smart Grid Research Centre will be established at Carnegie Mellon University to support the incorporation of renewable energy resources and provide modelling, simulation and control tools needed to manage, optimize and secure the power grid. The centre will develop the dynamic
Research collaboration
RESEARCHERS at Dow Corning and The University of Toledo announced today that the organizations have signed a memorandum of understanding to collaborate on photovoltaic (PV) solar research and development efforts and will work together to help reduce the cost of solar energy to make it a viable and competitive energy option globally.
“UT is committed to bringing technology developed in its laboratories to the marketplace,” said Frank Calzonetti, UT vice president for research and economic development. “An equal collaboration with global solar energy leader Dow Corning provides an excellent pathway for our research and technology to provide solutions to a world hungry for clean and renewable solar energy.”
This relationship not only demonstrates
the value of collaborative partnerships to advance research and regional economic development, but sends a powerful message that the states of Ohio and Michigan are willing to work together to advance our positions in solar energy research, manufacturing, and implementation.”
The collaboration between Dow Corning and UT, which could include the addition of other universities or businesses in the future, offers researchers from both organizations the opportunity to share data and technology while allowing both to protect their intellectual property. The UT has a long history of thin-film photovoltaic research. Faculty members from various departments at UT have been actively involved in research and development of PV materials, devices, and manufacturing for more than 25
monitoring and decision systems (DYMONDS) required to create a new paradigm for the electricity infrastructure. In addition, personal energy systems will be enabled providing individuals and organizations choices and flexibility in the use of energy.
The ERI will also train and educate students, providing them with the expertise and skills needed to transition these new methods into the marketplace. Research will be undertaken by a global network of universities comprised of several university centres, starting with the Purdue and Carnegie Mellon centres.
Each centre will have its own research focus and area of expertise, with close coordination to complement the respective programs. Industry members of the ERI will dedicate engineering and other resources and participate in the selection of appropriate research projects.
The ERI will be managed by a SRC subsidiary called The Energy Research Corporation (TERC), which was formed in 2009 to create opportunities between the semiconductor industry and energy sector.
years. UT leads the Wright Centre for Photovoltaics Innovation and
Commercialization, a world-class science and technology platform established by the state of Ohio to further the research of clean electricity generation.
Dow Corning’s silicon-based materials are used in solar cell manufacturing, solar module assembly and installation. In the past five years, Dow Corning and its joint ventures, the Hemlock Semiconductor Group, have announced investments of more than $5 billion to research and develop as well as to expand production of materials critical to the solar industry.
www.solar-pv-management.com Issue V 2010
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