Samira Aden joins ETIP PV - The European Technology & Innovation Platform for Photovoltaics ESG Working Group
© baip
Samira Jama Aden, Architect Design Research, has joined the ETIP PV - The European Technology & Innovation Platform for Photovoltaics working group “Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG)”.
ESG emphasizes the critical need for environmental-social and ethical responsibility in photovoltaic technologies. Photovoltaic embedded within global society, demands attention to power dynamics, reliable information, guidelines, and accountability to ensure a sustainable, just, and transparent PV sector, surrounding Lifecycleassesment, environmental responsibility, and social equity.
Samira Aden titles: “Technology is always embedded in a larger context. Renewable energy technologies, such as PV, are intrinsically linked to our global society, presenting multidisciplinary challenges related to climate change and a perpetually transforming society. Especially crucial is the awareness that PV technologies, materials, industries, and governance necessitate a high degree of social and ethical responsibility. This is evident when considering power dynamics and their effects on energy systems in the Global North and Global South. To prevent paradoxes between discourse, action, and responsibility, there is a need for reliable information, guidelines for action, and accountability within the European PV sector. The renewable energy transition is multifaceted and requires a comprehensive dedication to transnational responsibility, social justice, and practice.”
Helmholtz-Berlin looks forward to her contributing her experience as an architect and expert in design research and innovative materials to this important field of photovoltaics at a European level.
- BESSY II: Evaporated perovskites in tandem solar cells improvedPerovskite-silicon tandem solar cells achieve significantly higher efficiencies than silicon solar cells on their own. One particularly attractive method is co-evaporation of the perovskite precursor molecules on top of the silicon subcell. Scientists at HZB have analysed film growth on the nanoscale at BESSY II and found a new way to improve the quality of the perovskite layer: adding a thin seed layer of caesium chloride between the two sub-cells promotes uniform perovskite growth and suppresses the formation of undesired lead iodide at the interface.
- Hatice Mutlu appointed to the Helmholtz Institute HIPOLE in JenaProf. Dr Hatice Mutlu is the new professor of sustainable polymer chemistry at HIPOLE Jena, the Helmholtz Institute for Polymers in Energy Applications. On 17 August 2026, she visited the HZB campus in Berlin-Adlershof including the BESSY II lightsource and discussed future collaboration with researchers and the board of directors.
- Green hydrogen with PEC electrolysers: New insights into transport processesOne method of storing solar energy is to use PEC electrolysers to produce hydrogen. However, scaling up this technology remains challenging. Now, a team at the HZB Institute for Solar Fuels has used 2D fluorescence imaging and particle velocimetry to observe the movement of ions and dissolved gases within the electrolyte during electrolysis. These new insights may prove useful in the development of larger PEC electrolysers.