Intersolar Europe in Munich: HZB research meets solar industry
Intersolar Europe is the world’s leading exhibition for the solar industry and its partners and takes place annually at the Messe München exhibition center in Munich, Germany.
© Solar Promotion GmbH
At the major international photovoltaics exhibition from 31 May to 2 June 2017, Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin (HZB) will be exhibiting solar energy research projects and presenting opportunities for industrial cooperation in the field of photovoltaics (PV).
Intersolar Europe is a world leading event where manufacturers, suppliers, distributors and service providers come to learn of new developments in the solar industry. A team from Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin will be presenting its research in the field of renewable energies at this exhibition in Hall A2, Booth 574 – in particular, the new Helmholtz Innovation Lab HySPRINT and the long-established competence centre for photovoltaics PVcomB. These two institutes primarily address the scientific-technical issues of technology transfer and cooperate closely with industrial partners.
In the Helmholtz Innovation Lab HySPRINT, silicon-based materials are being combined with organometallic perovskite crystals to develop so-called hybrid tandem cells. Such cells can be used for solar generation of electricity or hydrogen.
The Competence Centre Thin-Film- and Nanotechnology for Photovoltaics Berlin (PVcomB) has industrial reference lines for manufacturing CIGS and silicon photovoltaics. Teams of HZB experts are collaborating with industry to develop novel thin-film technologies and products. Joint research projects with industrial partners have already culminated in many successful innovations.
Research into new material systems for photovoltaics is an important focal topic at HZB. The Centre is specialised in so-called energy materials that convert or store energy. This includes solar cells, material systems for generating hydrogen from sunlight, and magnetic material systems for developing energy-efficient information technologies. For studying interfaces and surfaces of thin films, HZB operates the photon source BESSY II and a series of CoreLabs with latest generation equipment.
HZB’s info stand is in Hall A2, Booth 574 (A2.574)
- BESSY II shows how solid-state batteries degradeSolid-state batteries have several advantages: they can store more energy and are safer than batteries with liquid electrolytes. However, they do not last as long and their capacity decreases with each charge cycle. But it doesn't have to stay that way: Researchers are already on the trail of the causes. In the journal ACS Energy Letters, a team from HZB and Justus-Liebig-Universität, Giessen, presents a new method for precisely monitoring electrochemical reactions during the operation of a solid-state battery using photoelectron spectroscopy at BESSY II. The results help to improve battery materials and design.
- From waste to value: The right electrolytes can enhance glycerol oxidationWhen biomass is converted into biodiesel, huge amounts of glycerol are produced as a by-product. So far, however, this by-product has been little utilised, even though it could be processed into more valuable chemicals through oxidation in photoelectrochemical reactors. The reason for this: low efficiency and selectivity. A team led by Dr Marco Favaro from the Institute for Solar Fuels at HZB has now investigated the influence of electrolytes on the efficiency of the glycerol oxidation reaction. The results can help to develop more efficient and environmentally friendly production processes.
- HySPRINT Photovoltaics Lab inauguratedAfter around four years of renovation, photovoltaics research groups moved into their offices in Kekuléstraße on 20 June 2024. With the reopening, the building has also been given a new name that makes the research more visible: it is now called HySPRINT Photovoltaics Lab.