About
NextPV is a French-Japanese international research project (IRP) on Next Generation Photovoltaic Cells, operated by the French CNRS – Institute for Engineering and Systems Sciences (INSIS), Institute of Chemistry (INC), by The University of Bordeaux and by the Research Center for Advanced Science and Technology (RCAST), The University of Tokyo.
The IRP NextPV is a continuation of the former associated international laboratory of the same name (LIA NextPV, 2012-2018).
It brings together the expertise and skills of the teams of the photovoltaic institute Ile de France (IPVF), the Centre for Nanotechnologies and Nanoscience (C2N) in Paris-Saclay, the Lavoisier Institute in Versailles (ILV), the Laboratory for Analysis and Architecture of Systems (LAAS) in Toulouse and the three research laboratories from the University of Bordeaux (i.e. UMR units LCPO, ISM and IMS) for the French side and the Research Center for Advanced Science and Technology (RCAST) of the University of Tokyo for the Japanese counterpart. It brings together some 30 French researchers and some 20 Japanese researchers.
This program facilitates exchanges between these complementary scientific communities and has as its main objective the emergence of more efficient and sustainable photovoltaic systems than those currently on the renewable energy market.
NextPV-II’s research projects focus on 4 main areas: solar cells of type III-V (1), organic, hybrid and perovskite solar cells (2), integrated systems (3) and analytical methods, characterization and simulation of these solar cells (4).
The axis 1 focuses on new concepts for high efficiencies solar cells: hot-carrier solar cells, intermediate band solar cells and multi-junction cells using III-V semiconductors, perovskite, nitrides, quantum dots and IR absorbers just to name a few.
The axis 2 is dedicated to the development of the third generation of solar cells: perovskite solar cells, colloidal quantum dots solar cells and organic solar cells. The objectives of this axis are to improve the efficiency and stability of organic and hybrid solar cells, using novel organic or inorganic polymer materials for interface layers with perovskite. Another aspect of this axis will be the exploration of strategy to reduce the toxicity of these technologies (lead-free colloidal quantum dots, water-based organic inks…).
Axis 3 aims not only to study the integration of solar cells in solar concentrator modules or full systems but also to combine them with hydrogen cells.
As for axis 4, it covers the characterization and simulation needs of all the axes mentioned above.
NextPV benefits also from other internal expertise at the University of Tokyo, notably through the development of synergistic projects with the International Research Laboratory LIMMS (IRL 2820) located on Komaba campus.
