UiO:Energy had the pleasure of being part of the UiO-delegation to China in April, visiting both Hangzhou and Beijing. In Hangzhou, the establishment of a Sino-Norwegian Centre for the Study of Society and Environment between Zheijang University and UiO was discussed, where the Airborne project is a cornerstone. Another exciting part of the program was a truly interdisciplinary seminar, linked to the Chinese concept of Ecological Civilization, in this case spanning humanities, social science and solar cell physics.
One of the presenters was the Deputy Director of R&D in Jinko Solar, Dr. Zhang Xinyu. In the discussions after the seminar, he underlined how the quality of Jinko’s solar cells and panels depends on the quality of the feedstock. The very best silicon, he said, comes from Norway - from the companies NorSun and Norwegian Crystals. Dr. Zhang also revealed that collaborative research from the SiNorAPV-project had already been implemented in production lines, making its way into 150 000 solar cells per day. That is some really impressive impact of research UiO has contributed to!
The internships mentioned initially illustrates the willingness to exchange knowledge and cooperate, and the trust built up in the Chinese-Norwegian PV alliance. Internship calls are planned for 2019 and 2020, as well. The partners are actively looking for funding to further strengthen their joint efforts and expand the alliance further. As pointed out by the Airborne researchers from UiO: Research collaboration with China is easier within technology than it is in social sciences and humanities.
