IPVF – INTERNSHIP – Development of a quantitative eco-design tool for photovoltaic modules (M/F)

Institut Photovoltaïque d'Ile-de-France (IPVF); Palaiseau; On-site; EUR 13,000 - 18,000; Full time

Job summary

IPVF – Photovoltaic Institute of Île-de-France recherche un stagiaire (H/F) pour développer et améliorer l'outil d'éco‑design des modules photovoltaïques. Le poste s'inscrit dans une équipe pluridisciplinaire et vise à étendre l'outil à des technologies PV émergentes tout en renforçant l'automatisation par Python.

Le candidat sera intégré à IPVF sur site à Palaiseau, et travaillera sur l'évaluation du cycle de vie et l'analyse techno‑économique, avec des responsabilités allant de la modélisation

Qualifications

• Anglais requis, Français recommandé.
• Étudiant en M2, école d'ingénieurs ou formation eco-design.
• Maîtrise de Python et expérience en programmation.
• Connaissance LCA et TEA recommandée.
• Expérience avec SimaPro ou OpenLCA recommandée.
• Connaissances de base en photovoltaïque recommandées.

Responsibilities

• Développer et améliorer l'outil d'éco-design et son automatisation.
• Adapter l'outil aux technologies émergentes PVK et architectures tandem.
• Intégrer rendement et durée de vie pour comparer les technologies.
• Développer des scripts Python pour transférer et traiter les résultats LCA.
• Intégrer faisabilité technique et contraintes manufacturing.
• Réaliser des schémas graphiques des paramètres et visualiser les trade‑offs.
• Formuler des recommandations pour l'éco‑design des modules.

Skills

English

Python

LCA knowledge

TEA knowledge

SimaPro/OpenLCA

Photovoltaics basics

French (recommended)

Education

Master's degree (M2)

Engineering school

Eco-design/environment education

Energy or materials focus

Tools

SimaPro

OpenLCA

Python

Job description

Position: Intern (M/F)

Contract: Internship Agreement

Duration: 6 months

Start date: March 2027

Workplace: IPVF, 18 Boulevard Thomas Gobert, 91120 Palaiseau

Education: Master's degree (M2), engineering school or specialized training in eco-design, environment, energy or materials

Ref. IPVF: PR-CM-3-ST

IPVF – Photovoltaic Institute of Île-deFrance

IPVF is a scientific and technical hub dedicated to the research and development of solar technologies .

IPVF is located at its Paris–Saclay site, it brings together its own staff, employees of its partners, and those of external companies.

The IPVF aims to become one of the world's leading centers for research, innovation, and training in the field of energy transition .

The IPVF's Primary Objective Is To Improve The Performance And Competitiveness Of Photovoltaic Cells And To Develop Disruptive Technologies By Focusing On Four Key Areas

• An ambitious research program;
• The reception, on its Paris‑Saclay site, of more than 200 researchers and their laboratories;
• A cutting‑edge technological platform (8 m²) open to players in the photovoltaic sector, and bringing together more than 000 cutting‑edge equipment located in clean rooms.
• A training program mainly based on a master's degree, supervision of doctoral students, and continuing education.

JOB CONTEXT

Eco-design is an essential approach to identifying opportunities to reduce the environmental impacts of products from their design phase, while taking into account the associated technological and economic constraints.

It becomes all the more strategic as the regulatory framework strengthens: ecodesign requirements for photovoltaic modules are being prepared within the framework of the European Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR), the Net‑Zero Industry Act introduces sustainability criteria into public tenders, and tenders issued by the French Energy Regulatory Commission (CRE) already take into account the carbon footprint of modules. Ecodesign is thus becoming a major issue for the development and market access of new photovoltaic technologies.

In the photovoltaic sector, environmental assessment methodologies have been developed for silicon (Si)-based modules. However, the emergence of new technologies, particularly perovskite-based (PVK) modules and Si/PVK and PVK/PVK tandem architectures, necessitates adapting and extending these approaches to take into account their specific technological characteristics, performance, and long‑term sustainability.

The IPVF has developed a quantitative rating tool for eco-design that allows for the comparison of different design options based on their environmental and economic impacts, in order to support manufacturers in their decision-making.

The initial results highlighted several areas for improvement, including comparing technologies based on their yields, automating the processing of life cycle assessment (LCA) data, integrating technical feasibility and lifespan constraints, and improving the evaluation of perovskite cell parameters according to environmental and economic criteria.

What We Can Offer

The new employee will work in a multidisciplinary environment within a dynamic team at IPVF and will be able to make use of their technical analysis and communication skills.

MAIN MISSIONSES

The objective of the internship is to further develop the existing tool in order to improve its robustness, applicability and level of automation, while extending its use to emerging perovskite‑based technologies and tandem architectures.

The intern will contribute in particular to the following tasks:

• – Improvement of the rating tool: refine the existing methodology to better compare different eco‑design options according to their environmental and economic impacts. This includes developing indicators to quantify the economic effects of environmental improvements, for example, the cost associated with a reduction in CO₂ emissions.
• – Extension to emerging technologies: adapt the tool to perovskite‑based modules (PVK) and to Si/PVK and PVK/PVK tandem architectures, taking into account their specific technological characteristics and sustainability prospects.
• – Comparison of environmental performance: integrate variations in yield, performance degradation and module lifespan in order to compare different technologies based on their electricity production over their entire lifespan.
• – Automation using Python: develop Python scripts to automate the transfer and processing of LCA results from SimaPro, facilitate the evaluation of different design scenarios and improve the reliability and efficiency of the tool.
• – Integration of technical feasibility: taking into account manufacturing constraints, mechanical robustness and risks of degradation in order to assess the relevance of eco‑design solutions over the entire lifespan of the modules.
• – Development of graphical representations: designing standardized diagrams to analyze variations in specific module parameters and to visualize the trade‑offs between performance, environmental impacts and costs.
• – Application and recommendations: test the improved tool on different design scenarios and formulate recommendations for the eco‑design of next‑generation photovoltaic modules.

The intern will work closely with the techno‑economic and environmental analysis team, as well as with the team manufacturing perovskite‑based photovoltaic modules and tandem modules at IPVF.

Required Profile

• – English (required) / French (recommended)
• – Student in M2, in engineering school or in a relevant course in environment, energy, materials or eco‑design.
• – Proficiency In Python And Programming Experience (required).
• – Knowledge of life cycle assessment (LCA) and techno‑economic analysis (TEA) (recommended).
• – Experience with SimaPro or OpenLCA (recommended).
• – Basic knowledge of photovoltaics (recommended).