The METU Center for Solar Energy Research and Applications (METU-GÜNAM) also based in the Ankara campus, was founded with the initiative of METU in 2009. It is not a coincidence that this establishment has come out from METU, where the solar energy studies date back to the 80s. METU-GÜNAM infrastructure has been built as a multi-disciplinary research center. Faculty members from seven different disciplines of three different faculties have contributed to the establishment and development of METU-GÜNAM: Physics and Chemistry Departments, Civil, Electrical and Electronics, Metallurgical and Materials, and Mechanical Engineering Departments, and Architecture Department. This wide range of participation reflects the center’s multidisciplinary nature, which is necessary for this technology.
METU-GÜNAM is well integrated into the European Union through its projects such as CHEETAH, EU-SOLARIS, and INSHIP through its connections with institutions such as EERA (European Energy Research Alliance) and EUPVTP (European Photovoltaic Technology Platform). At the national level, METU-GÜNAM is working with many research institutes and universities all over Türkiye, a well as public and private sector institutions. It has already been recognized nation-wide through new collaborations, already running projects, and national networks. In particular, with its laboratories and facilities, METU-GÜNAM is capable of producing photovoltaic cells with traditional and emerging PV technologies such as PERC/PERT/PERL, Bifacial, IBC, HIT, Perovskite. METU-GÜNAM researchers have been involved in many national and international projects.