SOLARUP

Ultrathin-film photovoltaic tech using earth-abundant material for sustainable solar energy conversion.

The EU-funded SOLARUP project aims to demonstrate ultrathin-film photovoltaic technology that is scalable, cost-effective, and environmentally friendly. SOLARUP’s innovation will rely on nanoengineering zinc phosphide (Zn3P2) – an earth-abundant material – for use as a semiconductor absorber and designing novel device architecture. Researchers target cell efficiency improvement of up to 15 %. The proposed solar energy conversion technology will reduce dependence on critical raw materials and overcome efficiency thresholds to unlock the future of flexible photovoltaic solar cells for mass deployment in smart buildings, soft robotics, wearable electronics and other consumer products. The project brings together six European teams with complementary expertise at the interface of Zn3P2 research, device architecture and life cycle analysis.