CSEM is a private, not-for-profit research and technology organisation. Under contract with the Swiss Confederation, its mission is to enhance industry competitiveness by developing and transferring technologies. It was created in 1984. Since then it has grown to 450 employees over five sites and led to the creation of 42 start-up companies. Its annual turnover is about 80 million CHF.

CSEM’s R&D activities are structured around five technology programmes:

• Microsystems
• Surface engineering
• Ultra-low-power integrated electronic systems
• Systems engineering
• Photovoltaics and energy management

Since 2013 it is home to the Swiss national competence centre for photovoltaics, PV-Center. The centre combines a strong expertise at the device level with CSEM’s strengths in electronics and control. In particular, its Energy systems team, which contributes to RDC2MT, brings together experts in power electronics, optimisation, machine learning, control, batteries, power engineering, and system integration. Our work on microgrids also builds on our capabilities for battery characterisation and modelling at the joint BFH-CSEM Energy Storage Research Center. We have built a first demonstration low-voltage DC microgrid and are scaling it up to the tens of kW through the DCSMART project.

CSEM website

Team members

Dr. Pierre-Jean Alet

Dr Pierre-Jean Alet holds an MSc in engineering from ENSTA Paristech, an MSc in physics from University Paris XI – Orsay, and a PhD in materials science from École Polytechnique (F). From 2008 to 2013 he was with Sharp Laboratories of Europe (UK) where he initiated research activities and strategic partnerships on solar cell technologies and energy services. He is now project manager at CSEM, where he leads the activities on PV system performance, storage, and grid integration.