Discover CSEM’s sustainable energies activites

CSEM’s sustainable energies initiatives are headed by Professor Christophe Ballif and are a collaboration between CSEM and EPFL. The activities capitalize on an international team of 80 world-class researchers and professionals with industry and academic backgrounds. They are aimed at developing next generation photovoltaic cells and modules, innovative renewable energy system solutions, and energy management services, to support the transition to an energy system in which solar will play an essential role.

CSEM’s sustainable energies activities provide a full range of services to its partners, spanning from technology development to product prototyping, including the realization of full-size demonstration systems.

The infrastructure of these sustainable energies activities includes specialty systems for coating, patterning, printing, and fabrication processes, as well as pilot manufacturing lines – from glass cleaning and wafer etching up to the assembly of functional modules. These activities are part of the digital revolution and are contributing to the development of innovative data science solutions that optimize renewable energies and their integration, storage, monitoring, control, and maintenance.

CSEM’s sustainable energies activities offer services and supports industrialization efforts within the following areas:

• High-performance crystalline silicon cells, perovskite and tandem perovskite/silicon, sustainable manufacturing solutions, and more
• Solar modules, specialty polymers and coatings for PV, Building Integrated Photovoltaics (BIPV), lightweight products for various mobility application
• Coatings for energy devices – custom energy harvesting, power conversion devices, advanced interfaces in batteries, heat/light management filters, and more
• Energy systems – batteries systems and advanced hardware, storage technologies, energy optimization, algorithms for optimal control/management at building and district level, and more
• Digital Energy Solutions – data science and AI for productive solutions, e.g. for advanced forecasting or assets maintenance.