Postdoctoral researcher - technology for combined solar electric and thermal energy production (PV/T)

IFE has a 2-year postdoctoral researcher position open within the project "Key technologies and demonstration of combined cooling, heating and power generation for low-carbon neighbourhoods/buildings with clean energy - ChiNoZEN." This is a project jointly funded by the Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST) in China and the Research Council of Norway (RCN).

Distributed hybrid PV/T systems generate heat and electricity based on a same component. Using the most common PV/T technology, water is heated by the collector and simultaneously cools down the solar cells so that the PV generation efficiency is increased compared to a stand-alone PV system. This supposes that the water is heated at a moderate temperature level to keep the PV efficiency high, a temperature level that is not useful for many building applications. To effectively reach higher temperatures, a heat pump (HP) system driven by the PV/T electricity may be used.

The research topic of this postdoctoral position is to evaluate different PV/T technologies with the aim of improving performance. The effect of PV performance on thermal energy production due to different solar cell architectures and module designs will be investigated in order to find the best PV module design for a PV/T system.

Work tasks

• Experimental work within silicon-based PV modules with a focus on thermal and electrical performance
• Modeling of thermal distribution in different PV and PV/T module designs
• Publishing results in leading peer-reviewed journals
• Presenting recent work at internationally relevant conferences
• Collaboration with the Norwegian and Chinese partners in the project
  

Qualifications

• PhD or equivalent academic degree in physics, chemistry, materials science or similar field
• An experimentalist view: Ability to plan and perform experiments, analyze results, summarize and conclude
• Expertise within one or more of the following topics will be beneficial
  • Experimentation on silicon-based PV modules
  • Solar cell physics, design and simulation
  • Solar thermal technology research
  • Proficiency in simulation and data analysis, e.g. in Matlab or Python
• Experience from industry led technical development is a benefit
• Publications in peer-reviewed scientific journals
• Excellent written and oral communication skills in English (the department's working language is English)
  

Personal qualities

We offer

• Work in a research-intensive environment with focus on scientific achievements, innovation and strengthening of Norwegian industry
• Collaboration with highly motivated and creative people within a well-integrated and social research group
• Work together with an established team of researchers and engineers with long track record and a leading international position in the field
• Participation in the development of sustainable technology
• Social benefits including pension, life insurance and accident insurance
• Salary according to agreement
• Participation in international conferences
• Modern laboratories with a strong focus on HES and safe operation