A strategic research agenda for photovoltaic solar energy technology : report of the EU PV technology platform

The EU PV Technology Platform [1] aims at joining forces on a European level to contribute to the further development of photovoltaic solar energy into a competitive technology that can be applied on a large scale and to the strengthening of the position of the European PV industry on the global market. The Platform mobilises a wide range of stakeholders from all European countries and mainly operates through its four Working Groups, addressing distinctly different fields of activity: 1. Policy and Instruments, 2. Market Deployment, 3. Science, Technology & Applications, and 4. Developing Countries. A key result of the Platform activities over the first two years of its existence is the Strategic Research Agenda (SRA), which was prepared by the Working Group on Science, Technology & Applications and published in June 2007. The SRA defines broadly supported overall development targets for PV technology and outlines research fields and topics to be addressed to reach these targets. In this context cost reduction of PV electricity generation is a crucial, although not the only, issue. This paper provides a brief summary of the SRA. The full document can be downloaded from the Platform website.