SUNLIFE

SUNLIFE will contribute to the acceleration of the clean energy transition by the development of efficient, sustainable, low-cost, long-life and stable photovoltaic (PV) technologies for outdoor and indoor use. SUNLIFE provides a unique R&I platform for boosting the capability of 5 EU research groups, 1 industry stakeholder and 1 end user focusing on the versatility of Sb2(S,Se)3 and Se technologies for the production of thin-film solar cells. The objective of SUNLIFE is the demonstration of PV devices with enhanced efficiency, integrability and stability avoiding the use of CdS and organic materials for a sustainable and longer lifetime PV technology. Materials with high absorption coefficient, low growth temperature and wide range of band gap values have been selected to enable fabrication of i) semi-transparent solar cells for BIPV, IIPV; ii) devices on ceramic tiles with the double function of walls ventilation and power production; and iii) flexible devices for IoT integration and indoor PV. These enhanced devices require the implementation of strategies to mitigate material defects with the control of orientation, p-type dopants and interfaces, and enhanced Se quality. SUNLIFE will enable a larger PV integration in the society by technology progress from TRL3 to TRL4 or above, increased efficiencies (≥ 15 % outdoor and ≥ 18 % indoor), and by defining the roadmap for TRL ≥ 5 beyond the project lifetime with the first Se/Sb2Se3 mechanical stacked multi-junction devices.