Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin successfully at international Photovoltaic Conference in Hamburg
2.500 experts on photovoltaics from all over the world met at the 31th EU PVSEC in Hamburg. © Guglielmo de' Micheli
HZB was present at the 31th EU PVSEC with oral and poster presentations and in addition with an own booth at the exibition. © HZB
Dr. Onno Gabriel and co-authors were selected from more than 1,300 submissions for the TOP 20 publication of the conference.
From 14. to 18. September more than 2.500 experts on photovoltaics from all over the world met at the 31th EU PVSEC in Hamburg to discuss the latest developments and innovations. HZB was present at the conference with oral and poster presentations and in addition with an booth at the exibition. A joint publication by the Competence Centre for Photovoltaics (PVcomB) and Institute for Silicon Photovoltaics was chosen from 1,300 contributions under the best TOP 20 of the conference.
The European Photovoltaic Solar Energy Conference and Exhibition (EU PVSEC) is one of the largest international conferences for photovoltaic research, technologies and applications. It is regarded as the world’s leading platform for exchanges between the worlds of photovoltaic research and industry in the global photovoltaic solar industry sector. Over 2,500 experts from 77 countries met at the 31th EU PVSEC in Hamburg. More than half of the participants had been represented by research and development specialists and about 40 percent from the segment industry and engineering. 20 researchers from HZB have participated at the conference.
A HZB joint publication from PVcomB and Institute for Silicon Photovoltaics has been rated as one of the best current work in the field of photovoltaics submitted to the Conference. Dr. Onno Gabriel and co-authors were selected from more than 1,300 submissions for the TOP 20 of the 31th EU PVSEC with their publication "Crystalline Silicon on Glass: Interface Passivation and Its Impact on the Absorber Material Quality ". The authors of the 20 highest scored abstracts of the EU PVSEC 2015 are invited to submit a paper for publication in the renowned scientific journal Progress in Photovoltaics. The special edition will be available for free download for a year, a special feature of the not open access-publishing magazine.
Gabriel and his colleagues investigate the influence of new industrial processes to produce thin crystalline silicon layers directly on glass. This preparation method is developed at HZB for several years and promises high material and energy savings. The at HZB measured efficiency of 12.1% is currently the world record for this solar cell technology.
- Susanne Nies appointed to EU advisory group on Green DealDr. Susanne Nies heads the Green Deal Ukraina project at HZB, which aims to support the development of a sustainable energy system in Ukraine. The energy expert has now also been appointed to the European Commission's scientific advisory group to comment on regulatory burdens in connection with the net-zero target (DG GROW).
- Long-term stability for perovskite solar cells: a big step forwardPerovskite solar cells are inexpensive to produce and generate a high amount of electric power per surface area. However, they are not yet stable enough, losing efficiency more rapidly than the silicon market standard. Now, an international team led by Prof. Dr. Antonio Abate has dramatically increased their stability by applying a novel coating to the interface between the surface of the perovskite and the top contact layer. This has even boosted efficiency to almost 27%, which represents the state-of-the-art. After 1,200 hours of continuous operation under standard illumination, no decrease in efficiency was observed. The study involved research teams from China, Italy, Switzerland and Germany and has been published in Nature Photonics.
- Electrocatalysis with dual functionality – an overviewHybrid electrocatalysts can produce green hydrogen, for example, and valuable organic compounds simultaneously. This promises economically viable applications. However, the complex catalytic reactions involved in producing organic compounds are not yet fully understood. Modern X-ray methods at synchrotron sources such as BESSY II, enable catalyst materials and the reactions occurring on their surfaces to be analysed in real time, in situ and under real operating conditions. This provides insights that can be used for targeted optimisation. A team has now published an overview of the current state of knowledge in Nature Reviews Chemistry.