(Invited) Duramat - a Systems Driven Approach to Improving Module Material Durability in the Energy Materials Network

Abstract

The Durable Module Materials Consortium, or DuraMat, is a consortium led by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), in partnership with Sandia National Laboratories, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, and SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, that is intended to accelerate the development of module materials for photovoltaics (PV) and lower the cost of electricity generated by solar power. The overarching goal of DuraMat is to discover, develop, de-risk, and enable the rapid commercialization of new materials and designs for photovoltaic (PV) modules that can improve performance and lifetime with the goal of enabling a solar levelized cost of electricity (LCOE) of less than $0.03 per kilowatt hour. As part of the Energy Materials Network (EMN), DuraMat brings together the best of the national lab and university research infrastructure in active collaboration with the PV and supply-chain industries to achieve this goal. DuraMat provides a unique opportunity to employ the Materials Genome Initiative methodology in the EMN framework in order to accelerate advances in materials and module designs and increase US competitiveness.