The FOTO-CER Project comes to an end
On December 31, 2024, the FOTO-CER research project, co-financed by CDTI under the MISSIONS Program, in which Lenz Instruments participates as a technology-based company, came to an end.
The project has enabled the development of new photovoltaic technologies based on the use of transparent materials, which can also be implemented on ceramic substrates. In this way, the technologies developed enable their future integration into architectural elements, such as façade cladding or roof tiles.
In addition to the detailed study of different types of materials and device architectures, the project has also developed coating technologies to ensure proper encapsulation of the devices and guarantee their durability.
Fundamental research has resulted in the fabrication of prototype solar cells on ceramic substrates, with dimensions up to 5×5 cm². In addition, significant technological advances have been made in cell interconnection, the scaling of synthesis processes and the development of inspection methods for the control of manufacturing processes.
Lenz Instruments’ contribution to the project has focused on the development of methodologies and sensor systems for the inspection of new photovoltaic materials used in the manufacture of transparent solar cells. In this sense, Lenz Instruments has developed a new methodology at prototype demonstrator scale, which allows the inspection of minimodules up to 30×30 cm². The information provided by the multisensor system, in combination with the application of advanced spectral processing techniques, allows real-time data to be obtained on critical device quality parameters. These include the degree of crystallinity of the absorber layer, which has a decisive influence on the conversion efficiency of the cells, as well as on their optical properties in terms of transparency.
The FOTO-CER project has received funding from the CDTI, which is supported by the Ministry of Science and Innovation and with funding from the European Union -NextGenerationEU- through the guidelines included in the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan.
