McMaster home to new solar photovoltaic network
[img_inline align=”right” src=”http://padnws01.mcmaster.ca/images/solar power.jpg” caption=”The Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) announced $5M in funding today for the establishment of the NSERC Photovoltaic Innovation Network. The Network is comprised of 29 top scientists and engineers working in the field of advanced solar cell research at 13 universities across Canada. Eleven private sector companies are also part of the network.”]
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A new research network to advance Canada's standing in the development of solar photovoltaics will be based at McMaster University.
The Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) announced $5M in funding today for the establishment of the NSERC Photovoltaic Innovation Network. The Network is comprised of 29 top scientists and engineers working in the field of advanced solar cell research at 13 universities across Canada. Eleven private sector companies are also part of the network.
"By supporting the research being done by these networks, we are building the economy of tomorrow and helping our universities blaze the way to greater long-term prosperity and innovation that will benefit Canadians for years to come," said Tony Clement, Minister of Industry.
The Network aims to raise the status of solar photovoltaics (PV) as a renewable energy option in Canada by accelerating research and development and commercializing the outcomes.
"In particular, the network will develop new intellectual property in PV for adoption by Canadian industry to supply strong domestic demand currently met by foreign companies," explained Rafael Kleiman, Scientific Director of the Network and a professor of engineering physics at McMaster. "It will help Canada compete globally in this rapidly growing sector."
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Mo Elbestawi, McMaster's vice-president, research & international affairs, said the establishment of the network at the University speaks volumes of its reputation and leadership in green, sustainable and renewable energy.
"This new network epitomizes what we're about," he said. "We're building on our strengths to create a critical mass of expertise in energy research and, in turn, helping Canadian companies remain competitive."
The Network anticipates training 88 research personnel over five years to provide highly skilled and creative employees for positions in industry and academia.
PV cells convert light from the broad solar spectrum directly to electricity, with the energy conversion efficiency and cost (in $/W) being the most important device metrics.
The proposed collaborative and multi-disciplinary research program has the specific objectives of increasing the device conversion efficiency and/or reducing the device cost to make large scale PV deployment more competitive against electricity generation from fossil fuels.
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