RISC: Zero-defect production for the energy transition

Photovoltaics (PV) is a vital factor in achieving the energy transition but its potential is still a long way from being sufficiently exploited. Research plays a central role in addressing this deficiency, as shown by the EU project “Platform-ZERO” that was launched recently. 12 European partners, RISC Software among them, are collaborating to cut the costs of manufacturing PV systems and make their production more efficient. RISC Software is in charge of one work package to which it contributes its expertise in the fields of data engineering and AI analysis.

The overriding aim of “Platform-ZERO” is the development of a new, adaptable inline process monitoring platform that works with the aid of artificial intelligence (AI) to enable zero-defect production. The latest generation of PV technologies combines high output with great flexibility for applications in various environments – from vehicles to buildings to agricultural power plants. However, their complexity means that even the slightest deviations in the manufacturing process make them extremely error-prone. Consequently, the newly developed production option aims to detect faults in production early, prevent them or rectify them. The result: the overall quality of the products is improved and manufacturing costs are slashed.

RISC Software heads the data management & control unit development work package, to which it will contribute its expertise. This includes collecting, integrating and processing sensor data, training machine learning models for inline control of the process of manufacturing solar cells, and developing user-friendly process control software.

The technology developed is to be tested and demonstrated in pilot plants in Spain, Germany, Austria and Poland. The plants focus on smart coatings for photovoltaics, high-efficiency solar modules and flexible solar films made from different photovoltaic materials and processes. Scheduled to run for four years, the project has a total budget of EUR 10 million. The consortium, which consists of 12 European partners from science, research and industry in 6 countries, is coordinated by IREC (Catalan Institute of Energy Research).

For more details, visit the webseite of RISC Software.