DELIGHT - Design and Evaluation of Lightweight Composite PV Modules for Integration in Buildings and Infrastructure

The main objective of DELIGHT is to design, manufacture, and evaluate sustainable lightweight composite PV modules for easier integration into existing infrastructure (buildings, transport infrastructure) with a special focus on increased safety and optimized aesthetic and constructive integration.

Achieving the ambitious targets of decarbonizing the European economy requires huge effort.
Integration of PV into existing infrastructure is one of the main pillars for achieving renewable electricity targets, especially for countries with limited free land to build large-scale PV plants, that are either densely populated (Netherlands, Belgium) or mountainous (Austria, Switzerland).This requires simultaneous optimization of energy yield and cost, module reliability and safety, weight, aesthetics and circularity.
DELIGHT brings together expertise in all these areas and will develop unique solutions for the integration of PV to enable energy neutral and positive buildings.
DELIGHT will focus on increased reliability, safety, optimized aesthetics and constructive integration of PV modules.

The main goals are:

• Reducing the weight of the PV-modules and construction system by achieving targets of ≤ 6 kg/m² (glass free design) and ≤ 7 kg/m² (front glass design)
• Fulfilling aesthetic integration requirements by use of novel, coloured components and coatings
• Optimizing the electrical module design with respect to shadow-tolerant module topologies, improving performance, safety, and reliability under partial shading conditions (module shut-down; disconnection of damaged substrings; hot-spots reduction or elimination)

A cross-sectional goal is to increase the overall lightweight modules’ sustainability by replacing standard fluoropolymer front sheets (expensive and difficult to recycle), with solutions based on coated polyester films, using recycled PET for honeycomb backsheet structures.
DELIGHT will bring the above-mentioned new concepts and solutions to a sufficiently high TRL (6-7), improving eco-design while maintaining performance, quality and reliability.
DELIGHT PV products will be fully designed, manufactured and optimized in EU, to contribute to the European market with high quality and trust.

Partner:

• OFI Österr. Forschungsinstitut für Chemie und Technik
• Rembrandtin Coatings GmbH
• Delft University of Technology
• École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne – PV Lab
• Kalyon Güneş Teknolojileri Üretim A.Ş.
• EconCore NV
• Solarge International B.V.
• Imec - Interuniversity Microelectronics Centre
• Solaxess
• 3S Swiss Solar Solutions