PV research and development in Europe — A view from the Technology Platform

Research on photovoltaics within Europe must underpin the achievement of ambitious goals for PV implementation in the short term, up to 2020, and in the longer term. The paper outlines the current European goals, including the PV contributions to energy supply expected by the member countries of the European Union in 2020. It summarises the current research under the Seventh Framework Programme of the European Commission and discusses the research activities in the Solar Europe Industry Initiative and the updated Strategic Research Agenda of the European Photovoltaic Technology Platform.