VALHALLA
About us
VALHALLA is a 3-year research and innovation project funded by the European Commission through HORIZON EUROPE Research and Innovation Actions.
VALHALLA will develop perovskite solar cells and modules with power conversion efficiencies above 26 % (modules > 23 %) and extrapolated operational lifetime > 25 years, following an eco-design approach: employing harmful-solvent-free perovskite deposition, optimized use of materials, circularity, recyclability, scalable and low-cost manufacturing processes, to create a viable economic pathway for the European commercialization of this sustainable technology.
VALHALLA
Consortium Members
This consortium involves 12 partners from all over Europe who will be collaborating and bringing their expertise to achieve the best results for this project.
Universitat de València
The old “Estudi General de València”, founded in 1499 and initially dedicated to the study of medicine, humanities, theology and law, has today become a modern European university, open to the culture of practically every branch of teaching. Currently, the University of Valencia stands out as one of the main public research organisations in Spain, with more than three thousand researchers integrated in 84 departments, 21 institutes and 5 other research units, belonging to social, biomedical, human, experimental and formal sciences. Along with human resources, the University of Valencia state-of-art premises and facilities, together with its instrumental equipment, both guarantee the quality of a vast scientific and technological offer available to the service of society.
In VALHALLA, Universitat de Valencia is the coordinator, WP2 and WP7 leadership. And it works on the development of absorber and charge transport material, solar cells, and module using dry processes.
Find out more about their research group here.
Kauno Technologijos Universitetas
Kaunas University of Technology (KTU) originates from the University of Lithuania founded in Kaunas on February 16, 1922. Since its establishment, KTU has played one of the most important roles in the building of the identity of the regional and national academic environment, fostering and preservation of cultural and ethical values, promotion of the development of society and education as well as research and innovation breakthrough. KTU currently has near 7300 students and near 1100 academic employees enrolled across 9 faculties and 8 research institutes.
Every year KTU becomes more and more recognized in the international research and study area and ensures favorable conditions for international cooperation in the implementation of study and research projects. In 2022, KTU has participated successfully in 251 R&D&I projects financed by the European Union and national research programs. KTU was the leading university in the participation in H2020 competitive research grants in Lithuania. KTU is in cooperation with more than 350 research and academic institutions in 51 countries as well as the representatives of international business enterprises. KTU academic staff published 645 articles in journals with an impact factor indexed in the Clarivate Analytics Web of Science or Elsevier Scopus databases within 2022. One of KTU’s key priorities is to maintain a synergy with local businesses and this is confirmed by new signed cooperation agreements with business entities every year.
Being the interdisciplinary university, competitive at the international level, developing and transferring new knowledge and innovations. KTU, as a part of ECIU University, contributes to the development of the idea to create a completely new educational model on a European scale. The ECIU University gathers together learners, teachers, and researchers to cooperate with cities and businesses and solve real-life challenges.
In VALHALLA, KTU works on the development and characterisation of organic charge transport materials.
Rijksuniversiteit Groningen
Founded 23 August 1614, the Rijkuniversiteit Groningen is one of the oldest universities in Europe. It has a staff of 6400 FTE, of which 400 are professors, and 37000 students. Its research generates about 8500 research publications per year. The Zernike Institute for Advanced Materials is one of its most prominent research institutions, which aims to achieve international leadership in the design and understanding of novel functional materials. The Zernike Institute is one of the two Top Research Schools of the Netherlands and has been recently evaluated as “outstanding”.
The role of RUG in the VALHALLA project is to develop and use numerical modelling techniques to explain experimental device performance and to identify pathways to more efficient perovskite solar cells.
Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche
The National Research Council (CNR) is the largest public research institution in Italy, the only one under the Research Ministry performing multidisciplinary activities.
Founded as legal person on 18 November 1923, Cnr’s mission is to perform research in its own Institutes, to promote innovation and competitiveness of the national industrial system, to promote the internationalization of the national research system, to provide technologies and solutions to emerging public and private needs, to advice Government and other public bodies, and to contribute to the qualification of human resources.
In the CNR’s research world, the main resource is the available knowledge which means people, with their skills, commitment and ideas. This capital comprises more than 8.000 employees, of whom more than half are researchers and technologists. Some 4.000 young researchers are engaged in postgraduate studies and research training at CNR within the organization’s top-priority areas of interest. A significant contribution also comes from research associates: researchers, from Universities or private firms, who take part in CNR’s research activities.
In VALHALLA, CNR will be working on ab-initio quantum chemical modelling of the perovskite materials and the
associated degradation mechanisms.
Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia
The Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia (IIT) is a scientific research centre based in Genoa (Italy). Its main goal is the advancement of science in Italy and worldwide, through projects and discoveries oriented to applications and technology.
IIT’s role in VALHALLA is the development and characterization of perovskites absorbers; investigation of the defect chemistry and their role on determining the quality and stability of thin films and device. It’s also the scientific and dissemination manager.
Université de Liège
The university was founded in 1817 by William I of the Netherlands, then King of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands, and by his Minister of Education, Anton Reinhard Falck. The foundation of the university was the result of a long intellectual tradition which dates back to the origins of the Prince-Bishopric of Liège. The University of Liège, or ULiège, is a major public university of the French Community of Belgium based in Liège, Wallonia, Belgium. Its official language is French. As of 2020, ULiège is ranked in the 301–350 category worldwide according to Times Higher Education, 451st by QS World University Rankings, and between the 201st and 300th place by the Academic Ranking of World Universities. More than 2,000 people, including academics, scientists and technicians, are involved in research of a wide variety of subjects from basic research to applied research.
WP5 leadership. Develop LCA, eco-design and circularity protocol.
Perform lead leaching test and end of life recycling and reuse.
Enel Green Power
Enel Green Power was founded in December 2008 inside the Enel Group to develop and manage power generated from renewable resources worldwide.
They manage more than 1,200 power plants on five continents. They’re present with assets in operation or under construction in 21* countries and manage development activities in a further 5 countries. They have over 59 GW of installed renewable capacity from a mix of renewable resources, including wind, solar, hydroelectric and geothermal. They’re playing a key role in the energy transition as one of the world’s leading renewable energy companies. Their goal is to accompany the planet into a new era of sustainable, decarbonized energy for all.
Enel Green Power’s role in VALHALLA is working on the industrial application of Energy Yield simulation and outdoor testing of encapsulated cells and modules produced in the project.
The Chancellor, Masters and Scholars of the University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is the world’s oldest English-speaking university, has been at the forefront of research, scholarship and innovation for over 850 years and is today a vibrant hub of internationally-leading work spanning all aspects of science, medicine, the social sciences and humanities. Our mission is the advancement of learning by teaching and research, and its dissemination by every means; and our goal is to make a difference at all scales, from the local to the global, influencing technology, policy and culture for the benefit of society. We aim to excel in every knowledge exchange and innovation mechanism to deliver these goals, including activities measured by the KEF metrics and beyond.
In VALHALLA, Oxford will be working on the development of perovskite absorbers and cells employing dry processing
methods.
Teknologian Tutkimuskeskus VTT OY
VTT is one of Europe’s leading research institutions. We are owned by the Finnish state. We advance the utilisation and commercialisation of research and technology in commerce and society. Through scientific and technological means, we turn large global challenges into sustainable growth for businesses and society. We bring together people, business, science and technology to solve the biggest challenges of our time. This is how we create sustainable growth, jobs and wellbeing and bring exponential hope.
In VALHALLA, VTT will be working on flexible substrate development, encapsulation development, and evaluation, and stability testing.
Becquerel Institute
The Becquerel Institute was founded in 2014, it combines the strength of a consultancy company with a dedicated research activity focusing on the ecosystem of solar photovoltaics. Its expertise is three-fold: applied research, strategic consultancy, and technical assistance. In the NEXUS project, the Becquerel Institute is leading the communication, dissemination and exploitation work. The combination of the Becquerel’s ties to national PV associations in various EU countries, APVIA in Asia, Solar Power Europe, Solar United, the European Solar Manufacturing Council ESMC and the ETIP-PV; its participation in various EU-funded projects; and its knowledge of the PV market and applications sector streghten the competences of this project.
The Becquerel Institute manages WP6 Leadership, Exploitation management and dissemination activities.
ARK Metrica Ltd
In VALHALLA, ARK Metrica will design, build and demonstrate industrial highly accelerated lifetime stress testing equipment for perovskite solar cells. Use said tool to provide rapid lifetime feedback to partners.
CSEM Centre Suisse d'électronique et de microtechnique SA - Recherche et Développement
Founded in 1984 and headquartered in Neuchâtel, CSEM is an internationally recognized innovation specialist with over 550 employees across six locations in Switzerland and more than 200 registered patents. We develop disruptive technologies with a high societal impact in the fields of precision manufacturing, digitalization, ultra-low-power electronics, optical elements, AI, and sustainable energy. We then transfer these innovations to industry partners in a variety of sectors, including renewable energy, healthcare, watchmaking, and aerospace, or encourage start-up creations. As a public-private, non-profit organization, our mission is to support the innovation of Swiss companies and strengthen the economy through ongoing collaboration with leading universities, research institutes, and industrial partners.
CSEM manages the WP3 leadership. It will work on ipscaling fabrication to module size, serial interconnections development, rigid encapsulation development and evaluation, and indoor and outdoor stability testing.
The Project
Perovskite Solar Cells with Enhanced Stability and Applicability (VALHALLA) is a 3-year research and innovation project funded by the European Commission through HORIZON EUROPE Research and Innovation Actions.
Grant Agreement n° 101082176
