Dutch Province of Brabant to invest in solar energy

A large investment in the development of solar energy in Southeast Brabant is to bring this region to the number one position in the field of solar energy and innovation in Europe. This is the ambition of knowledge institutes, businesses and authorities. On 13 December 2010, Solliance, KIC InnoEnergy and the FOM Foundation clarified their plans at the County Hall. The Provincial Council approved these plans, worth € 48,7 million, on 10 December.

The three initiatives were developed independently, but they complement each other and strengthen the research and activities in the field of solar energy in the region. The investment will result in the establishment of leading research institutes in the field of sustainable energy in the province of Brabant. The knowledge will be developed in the institutes and made available to trade and industry through laboratory and test facilities. Moreover, the knowledge will be applied and transferred to the market for daily practise.

“The clusters offer a firm basis because they build upon the strong high-tech and manufacturing industry and the existing knowledge infrastructure in Brabant”, says representative Lily Jacobs. “It will yield wide knowledge and increase job opportunities for energy researchers in the region.”

The largest part of the FOM institute for Plasma Physics Rijnhuizen will be moved to Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e) and expanded to a national institute for fundamental research. The activities of the institute will be closely cross-linked to the research of the university in this area and the institute will be given a national coordinating role.

Under the wings of ‘Solliance’ investments will be made in solar energy technology and the international competitive position of Southeast Brabant will be strengthened. Solliance is a cluster of the knowledge institutes ECN, TNO, TU/e and the Holst Centre, in which knowledge and research in the field of thin film solar cell technology is bundled. Solliance offers strategic basic research, application of this knowledge to solar cells and the manufacturing equipment and test facilities that can be used by regional businesses. To this end an establishment of the Energy research Centre of the Netherlands ECN will be opened in Eindhoven, where solar energy research will be conducted.

The Knowledge and Innovation Community (KIC) InnoEnergy will be founded as one of six European technology centres for sustainable energy, working on the use of sustainable energy in daily practise, for example in smart and energy efficient buildings and cities.

All three initiatives aim at active collaboration with the industry, resulting in partly demand-driven research and dissemination of the acquired knowledge, for example through successful spin-offs.

For more information, please contact:
- Provincie Noord-Brabant, Vanya van Dijk, telefoon (073) 68 0 8687/ 06 2774 5058
- Solliance, persvoorlichter ECN Florentine de Maar, telefoon (0224) 564050 / 06 1279 8123

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