Prof. Rutger Schlatmann is Chair of the European Platform for Photovoltaics
Rutger Schlatmann become the newly elected Chair of the European Technology & Innovation Platform for Photovoltaics (ETIP PV). © HZB/M. Setzpfandt
Rutger Schlatmann is a solar expert from the Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin (HZB) and professor at the Berlin University of Applied Sciences. At the HZB he heads the Competence Centre for Photovoltaics, which successfully brings together solar research and industry. Now the expert has been elected as chairman of the European Technology and Innovation Platform for Photovoltaics (ETIP PV). It provides independent advice on energy policy issues and the expansion of photovoltaics in Europe.
Schlatmann is supported by David Moser, who is a member of the Board of Directors of the Association of European Renewable Energy Research Centers (EUREC) as well as Jutta Trube, Division Manager of VDMA Sector Group Photovoltaic Equipment, who was elected as the new Vice-Chairperson of the ETIP PV Steering Committee.
For a healthy photovoltaic ecosystem in Europe
Following his election, newly elected ETIP PV Chair, Rutger Schlatmann, expressed his optimism:
“Photovoltaic solar energy in Europe and globally has entered a new and decisive phase. The technology is ready to take a major role in the transition towards a fully renewable energy system. Still, there is ample room for further innovations and continued efforts are necessary to maintain Europe’s position at the technological forefront. ETIP PV has outlined this innovation potential in the recent Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda for Photovoltaics (SRIA).”
Schlatman emphasises that technological leadership and security of energy supply can only be upheld with a thriving and complete supply chain for solar module production on the continent. “Therefore, ETIP PV and its partners will continue to strive for a healthy photovoltaic ecosystem in Europe” he adds.
About European Technology and Innovation Platform for Photovoltaics (ETIP PV)
The European Technology and Innovation Platform for Photovoltaics provides advice on solar photovoltaic energy policy. It is an independent body recognised by the European Commission as a representative of the photovoltaic sector. Its recommendations may cover the areas of research and innovation, market development including competitiveness, education and industrial policy.
Here you find the long version of the press release.
- Magnetic imaging: Micro-flowers increase the local magnetic fieldMaterials with magnetic nanostructures have many potential applications such as in spintronics. To explore such materials, nanoscale magnetic-sensitive imaging techniques are very useful, but up to now only weak magnetic fields could be applied during the imaging process. Now an international collaboration led by Dr. Sergio Valencia, HZB, has developed an approach that overcomes this limitation. The team designed tiny magnetic flux concentrators (MFCs), into which the sample is placed. The geometry of the MFCs resembles a flower with a number of petals which focus the applied magnetic field into its center. This greatly expands the magnetic field range available during imaging, and so the range of magnetic systems that can be investigated. The micro-flowers, enhancing magnetic fields locally, can find application in different nanometric magnetic microscopy techniques.
- CIGS-perovskite tandem cell achieves record efficiency of 25.5 %A Berlin-based team from HZB and Center for the Science of Materials Berlin (CSMB) at the Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin has set a new record for a tandem solar cell. Using a combination of a CIGS semiconductor layer and perovskite, along with several optimised intermediate layers, they were able to convert 25.5% of sunlight into electrical energy. The previous record for this combination of materials and this size of cell stood at 24.6%. The new record has been certified and is visible in the prestigious Solar Cell Efficiency Tables (the "Green Tables"), which serve as the definitive ledger for the global photovoltaic community.
- Disorder creates new properties in compound semiconductorsAn international research team has demonstrated that the intrinsic disorder of the compound semiconductor CuInSnS₄ can be exploited to influence its optical properties. While the atomic vibrations also sense the local disorder, their response is averaged over many different local environments and therefore appear isotropic, as expected for a cubic crystal. In contrast, the optical excitations, known as excitons, are much more sensitive to the local arrangement of atoms. Surprisingly, they show a direction-dependent optical response even though the average crystal structure is cubic. These findings shed new light on the relationship between disorder and material properties, opening up new options for targeted 'disorder engineering' in optoelectronic and photocatalytic devices.