MC 2.0
Mass customization (MC) is a new PhotoVoltaic (PV) manufacturing concept based on cleverly designed semi-fabricates
Mass Customization (MC) is a new PhotoVoltaic (PV) manufacturing concept based on cleverly designed semi-fabricates
The MC2.0-project will demonstrate how automated manufacturing of Integrated PV (IPV) elements using the mass customization approach can deliver a cost breakthrough in IPV facades, IPV windows and IPV roofs.
In the past 25 years, many integrated photovoltaics (IPV) products have been introduced and demonstrated. Mostly Building Integrated (so-called BIPV) products, but more recently also Infrastructure (IIPV) and Vehicle (VIPV) products. However, large scale deployment and massive market adoption of these technologies and products have not yet taken place.
We are at the brink of a huge scale-up and capacity build-up of PV in Europe, that will have a large effect on our living environment. Therefore, it is now urgent and essential that IPV products become widely available and affordable. This is important (1) to generate solar electricity where the demand is (in the built environment) and (2) to enable multifunctional use of area and space in the built environment.
Several parties in the MC2.0 consortium have more than 20 years of experience in IPV development and as such have been involved in many earlier projects and studies. We believe that the number one barrier for large scale market uptake of IPV is the high cost. Other – secondary but also important – barriers are immature sector cooperation and certification issues.
The overarching ambition of the MC2.0 project is to demonstrate a cost breakthrough for IPV by means of an advanced manufacturing approach, referred to as “mass customization”. In coherence with this approach, we will contribute to solving the other identified barriers.
To realize this ambition, the MC2.0 consortium brings together experts and companies on materials for PV laminates (including PV cells), on manufacturing of PV laminates, on manufacturing of IPV products and on market and application of IPV products.
Photography: Bart van Overbeeke
This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme under Grant Agreement No 10109613
