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Global energy sustainability, achieving net-zero carbon emissions and energy security are overarching societal challenges.

Solar currently provides 5% of the UK's electricity and is expected to expand five-fold by 2035. With the cost of solar electricity now often cheaper than fossil fuel-generated electricity without subsidy, solar provides a real a solution to helping to achieve net-zero.

As a recognised leader in solar research and innovation, the UK is leading the sector in: specialised glass materials manufacturing, new solar materials development, analytics, new approaches to maximise ecological benefits, asset management, and solar power plant design, development and installation.

However, in order to achieve the 2035 goals, the solar industry alone is expected to require 60,000 jobs, including an additional 6,000 new engineering graduates.

The Sustainable Solar Energy Systems (SES) Network Plus will create, coalesce and share both new knowledge and best practice through skills development programmes.

These programmes will be open to Early Career Researchers and industry professionals looking to expand their capabilities. Rather than focus on a single topic, they will present a systems perspective, giving participants an interdisciplinary understanding.

We will develop a Network Plus drawn from universities, industry, government, finance and the legal profession involved in solar implementation and systems development.

The SES Network will provide participants with the tools to understand and interact across this broad landscape.

The Network aims to deliver:

• Industry led skills development workshops, bringing best practices and new solar specific "add on" skills to jump-start and promote careers in the solar industry.
• Innovation support programmes: supporting innovation needed by the industry while fostering collaboration between diverse stakeholders.
• A peer-to-peer mentoring programme to support the dissemination of best industry practice, extending the learning from workshops while promoting the participation of underrepresented groups.
• An industry-aligned International Travel Fund will enable travel to key conferences, industry events and training opportunities not directly sponsored by the Network.
• An Industrial Secondment Fund will allow participants to develop solar specific skills through internships at leading companies active in the solar value stream.
• Public policy and engagement approaches to more broadly promote the need for solar and interdisciplinary skills development.

We look forward to working with companies and individuals involved in the solar industry. Contact us for more information.