Projects
Our projects and research have different focuses, which can be described in how the solar cells will be used.
Ongoing Projects
SOLVE - Solar Electricity Research Centre, Sweden
SOLVE is a consortium of universities, colleges, institutes, companies, and organizations conducting disciplinary and interdisciplinary research to enable the efficient and sustainable expansion of solar energy in Sweden.
Funded by: Swedish Energy Agency and partner universities, colleges, research institutes, and industrial collaborators
Project period: January 2022 – December 2026, with the possibility of a five-year extension until December 2031
Director: Marika Edoff
Co-Director: Jonathan Scragg
Project Coordinator: Ilknur Bayrak Pehlivan
Advanced Optical Concepts in ACIGS Solar Cells
This project focuses on implementing advanced optical concepts in ACIGS solar cells to enhance their efficiency and performance. The research aims to reduce environmental impact while improving energy conversion rates.
Funded by: The Swedish Research Council and Swedish Energy Agency
Project period: January 2021 – December 2026
Principal Investigator: Marika Edoff
Can a new family of inorganic materials make large scale solar energy more sustainable?
The project is developing high-throughput materials exploration methods to screen new materials for solar absorbers and charge transport layers in an autonomous laboratory platform. PhD project of Hugo Kvanta.
Funded by: Wallenberg Initiative Materials Science for Sustainability (WISE)
Project period: 2025-2028
Principal Investigator: Jonathan Scragg
Enhancing Stability and Performance in Next Generation Solar Cells by Employing Advanced Synchrotron Characterization
The purpose of the project is to study thin film solar cell materials at the atomic level using advanced synchrotron methods, with a particular focus on understanding and reducing instability and performance decline.
Funded by: The Swedish Research Council
Project type: VR Project Grant
Project period: January 2026 – December 2029
Principal Investigator: Natalia Martin
Hi-BITS: High Efficiency Bifacial Thin Film Chalcogenide Solar Cells
Hi-BITS is an EU project aimed at developing high-efficiency bifacial thin film chalcogenide solar cells.
Funded by: the European Union (Horizon Europe programme)
Project period: 1 October 2023 – 30 September 2026
Principal Investigator: Marika Edoff
Coordinator: Sascha Sadewasser (INL, Portugal)
High and Low - CIGS All Thin Film Tandem Solar Cells
This WISE PhD student project explores the development of CIGS all thin film tandem solar cells. The research is focused on achieving new levels of efficiency by combining high and low bandgap materials, enhancing the overall energy conversion process.
Funded by: WISE – Wallenberg Initiative Materials Science for Sustainability
Project type: WISE PhD project
Project period: August 2022 – 2027
Principal Investigator: Marika Edoff
PhD Student: Elizaveta Yakovleva
Improved Flexible and Lightweight CIGS Thin Film Solar Panels
This WISE Industrial Postdoc project focuses on the development of improved flexible and lightweight CIGS thin film solar panels. In collaboration with Midsummer AB, the research aims to enhance the performance and adaptability of solar panels for diverse applications by leveraging advanced thin film technologies.
Funded by: WISE – Wallenberg Initiative Materials Science for Sustainability
Project type: WISE Industrial Postdoctoral project
Project period: 2023 – 2026
Principal Investigators: Marika Edoff and Esko Niemi (Midsummer AB)
Postdoc: Tanvi Upreti
MiXides: ultra-versatile, robust and earth-abundant materials for a new generation of green technologies
This project explores alkali-earth transition metal chalcogenides as possible optoelectronic candidate materials, including developing hyperspectral imaging methods as a route for rapid characterisation in an autonomous synthesis platform.
Funded by: The Swedish Research Council
Project period: 2025-2028
Principal Investigator: Jonathan Scragg
Non-toxic, Inorganic Wide Band Gap Thin Films for Tandem Solar Cells
This WISE postdoc project focuses on improving the efficiency of tandem solar cells by developing a stable and efficient top cell based on Ag-alloyed CIGS. The material is studied in both its stoichiometric and Cu-poor phases (commonly referred to as an ordered defect compound), as these phases typically create a phase mixture in solar cell materials. The properties being characterized include phase stability, film morphology, bandgap energy and band edges, conductivity type, charge carrier density, light absorption, and ion mobility of trace elements.
Funded by: WISE – Wallenberg Initiative Materials Science for Sustainability
Project type: WISE Industrial Postdoctoral project
Project period: June 2024 – June 2026
Principal Investigators: Charlotte Platzer Björkman and Kostiantyn Sopiha
Postdoc: Ann Maria James
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Completed Projects
SITA: Stable Inorganic TAndem Solar Cells
SITA focused on developing highly efficient and stable inorganic tandem solar cells.
Funded by: the European Union (Horizon Europe programme)
Project period: 1 September 2022 – 31 August 2025
Principal Investigator: Marika Edoff
Administrator: Ilknur Bayrak Pehlivan
Solar Cells with Higher Efficiency and Lower Environmental Impact
In collaboration with the Swedish Energy Agency, this project worked on developing solar cells that combine higher efficiency with reduced environmental impact. The initiative aimed to push the boundaries of sustainable solar technology.
Funded by: Swedish Energy Agency
Project period: 2020 – 2023
Principal Investigator: Marika Edoff
Synchrotron spectroscopy for the in situ and operando characterization of thin film solar cells
Funded by: The Swedish Research Council
Project type: VR Starting Grant
Project period: January 2021 – December 2024
Principal Investigator: Natalia Martin
Voltage Losses in Thin Film Solar Cells with Large Band Gap
This project investigated voltage losses in thin film solar cells with large band gaps, seeking to understand and mitigate efficiency losses. The research provided critical insights into optimizing the performance of these advanced solar cells.
Funded by: Swedish Research Council
Project period: 2020 – 2023
Principal Investigator: Charlotte Platzer Björkman