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COST Action MP1307: Stable Next-Generation Photovoltaics |
Management Committee Member: Nenad Vukmirovic
Organic photovoltaic devices (OPVs) have major potential as a principal source of clean electricity for the future. However, the large-scale introduction of OPVs onto the market is currently limited by their stability. Initial reports indicate that the required lifetime of more than 20 years is theoretically feasible. However, progress in this area has been slow, because the complex and hierarchical degradation paths involved can only be understood by applying complementary chemical and physical characterization techniques. The Action StableNextSol aims to create a highly interdisciplinary network of academic and industry researchers to study the degradation mechanisms occurring in state-of-the-art OPVs, based on the use of complementary analytical techniques. The Action seeks to integrate and generate fundamental knowledge and expertise to foster disruptive innovations targeted to mitigate device failure, and aims to develop new concepts for OPVs that are more stable and reach lifetimes longer than 20 years. The added value of this COST Action will be the contribution of photovoltaic researchers at the European (EU) and international levels along the entire value chain, and of public-sector decision makers who will promote the implementation of specialisation policies and standards currently lacking in this area. This Action will contribute to the development of the new generation of researchers in the field by supporting the cooperation and interaction between different laboratories and large European infrastructures.