Introduction to Photovoltaic Systems

Photovoltaics is one of the most dynamically growing energy technologies in the world today. In recent years, PV has been one of the main contributors for new energy generation capacity installed, reaching a worldwide capacity of over 500 GW by the end of 2018. This fast pace of growth is expected to continue in the coming years.

The continuous improvement of the cost-competitiveness of PV with fossil-based energy is largely fuelled by the remarkable cost reduction of the core PV system components, while government incentives generally tend to drop. With the reduction of the initial plant cost, aspects related to the optimum system operation are garnering more attention. In parallel, with the increasing penetration of PV in the electricity network, challenges due to the intermittent and variable generation by PV plants are gaining importance.

The purpose of the PV programme is to contribute to the advancement of this renewable energy technology, by carrying out research and education targeted at modern photovoltaic systems, in close collaboration with industry.

We are involved in education at bachelor, masters and PhD level through student projects, MSc and PhD/Industrial courses, and we also welcome guest students and researchers from around the world.

We also offer state-of-the-art PV panel test and characterisation services for the industry.