Photovoltaics Reliability Operations and Maintenance Innovative Solutions for Energy Alliance

PROMISE aims to create an alliance of photovoltaic excellence through scientific, engineering and research performance within the Maltese research community reliability of existing and emerging module technologies and systems, including the digitalisation aspects for prediction and optimisation algorithms for innovative solutions to support the energy transition. The Maltese research community, led by the Foundation for Innovation and Research – Malta (FiR) and supported by local technology innovator PIXAM Ltd. will stimulate scientific excellence and sustained collaborations with four world-leading research institutions AIT (Austria), CENER (Spain), CEA (France), and BI Becquerel Institute (Belgium), and Anhalt University of Applied Sciences (Germany) as the leading EU academic applied practice partner. In particular, PROMISE will perform two programmes in research and knowledge considering gender balance, early career researchers and sustainable development goals. The research framework includes a bottom-up approach for a Malta-based research platform on PV reliability, including infrastructure, data collection, analysis and modelling/verification through module test rig, satellite and drone vision technologies and an in-field database of solar module manufacturers. The knowledge gain and transfer framework includes capacity building activities, including a series of workshops, winter/summer schools, training programmes, internships, meetings, mentoring, and research management and administration upskilling. The PROMISE results, lessons learnt, best practices, and success stories will feed a scalability opportunity, extending the research platform to a nationwide/regional landscape while also generating concrete research capacity for a more enabling environment for research in PV reliability in Malta as a solar country and regional energy hub.