Solar energy is a key component for the success of the energy transition. Currently, however, Europe is heavily dependent on Asian manufacturers for the production of solar technology. The "EuroCzFactory" research project aims to change this: its goal is to make photovoltaic technology (silicon ingots and wafers) competitive and energy-efficient again in Europe. The Technische Hochschule Mittelhessen (THM) is contributing its expertise in artificial intelligence to the project. AI methods will be used to detect errors in the production process at an early stage.

The team aims to contribute to making Europe's solar technology more independent, sustainable, and economical. The project is funded by the EU with a total of nearly €9 million and will run for 42 months. Sixteen partners from eight countries are involved: research institutes, industrial companies, and universities. The project is coordinated by the Norwegian research institute SINTEF, Europe's largest independent research organization.

THM is contributing its expertise in artificial intelligence and machine learning during production. The problem: During crystal growth, the technological foundation of photovoltaics, the silicon crystal can lose its structure in certain areas. The affected section then becomes unusable and must be melted down. This, in turn, costs material, energy, and production time. "Our task in the project is to develop AI methods that can detect such structural losses early on using camera and sensor data and later be directly integrated into the control of the production facilities," explains Prof. Dr.-Ing. Dorra Baccar from the Centre of Competence for Information Technology (KITE) , who is leading the project at THM .

Asia, and especially China, dominates the global market for solar technology with over 80 percent. "EuroCzFactory" aims to make Europe independent of Asian manufacturers and thus contribute to the energy transition. "The goal is to reduce waste and operate the systems more efficiently and safely – an important step towards making solar technology economically viable again in Europe," the professor summarizes.