Solar energy is one of the pillars of the world’s renewable energy supplies. Over the past ten years the market for photovoltaic solar cells has grown by 40%. There is a demand for more skilled personnel with experience in the solar cell industry to safeguard the growth of production capacity in growing markets like Germany, Japan, the United States and China. That is why the Solar Academy offers practical and theoretical training courses for operators, engineers and managers who work in the solar cell industry.
The demand for the training of process engineers and other workers in solar cell production was driven by the development and successful licensing of the process developed by ECN for producing solar cells and by ECN’s widely recognised expertise. While this demand fitted in with ECN’s mission to bring knowledge to the industry, it also competed with the centre’s research activities. So halfway through 2007 the decision was made to set up a spin-off company for the training courses. There were no similar training courses on the market, particularly such courses with a practical component as well as a theoretical one.
Paul Wyers, ECN Solar Energy unit manager, said: “The Solar Academy is an excellent example of how we are marketing ECN technology in response to the wishes of the solar cell industry. These hands-on courses have a demonstrable added value. ECN has already trained more than 100 employees of partners and customers in this way.”
Cooperation partners
To serve other target groups such as architects, contractors, installers, service providers, project managers and policymakers, the range of courses is being expanded considerably to include everything from an introductory course in solar energy to a course for process engineers working in production processes in a solar cell line. The investments required for the Solar Academy are being provided by industrial partners, with NV Industriebank LIOF (Maastricht) and Solland playing a major role as co-initiators.
Solland, the largest Dutch producer of solar cells, uses innovative production methods. Its research focuses principally on reducing the cost of producing solar cells, improving efficiency and enhancing production methods. The Limburg development and investment company LIOF has the task of strengthening the economic structure of the province of Limburg. LIOF concentrates on opportunities for assuring long-term economic development. It acts as a bridge between the authorities and the business community.
Future developments
Elbert-Jan Achterberg was appointed Managing Director of Solar Academy in mid-2008. “We have already provided numerous different training courses for customers from Germany, Spain, Greece and even India,” he said. Asked about developments at Solar Academy, he replied: “On average there is one long, five-day course each month, with four to twelve participants. The courses are currently being given at ECN and mainly by ECN personnel. But in the course of 2009 we will relocate the training to Avantis, the cross-border industrial estate near Heerlen. We intend to start giving short courses there from early 2009. The raising of funding for the second phase will continue in the meantime.”
The second phase involves constructing a solar production line - pilot line – so that intensive training courses can be given to engineers; this will also allow the Solar Academy to function as an R&D facility. Achterberg: “In Heerlen we are going to set up a complete characterisation laboratory so that we can give some of the practical training in Heerlen from May 2009. We expect to be fully operational at Heerlen by mid-2010.”
The training courses will be given in a state-of-the-art model factory that is none-the-less very similar to the production lines used in the industry. This enables new employees to be trained at the Solar Academy without disturbing the production process at their company. Experimental research can continue at the same time.
Contact
Elbert Jan Achterberg
Solar Academy Management Board
Tel.: +31 (0)6 5754 9522
achterberg@remove-this-part-solaracademy.nl
Wilma Eerestein
ECN Solar Energy
Tel.: +31 (0)224 - 564435
eerenstein@remove-this-part-removethis.ecn.nl
