CIGS Thin-film Solar Modules: HZB invites for workshop
Global demand for photovoltaic systems is rising sharply. CIGS thin-film modules have become a hot topic for the solar industry. International experts will convene in Stuttgart on May 30, 2017, at the annual IW-CIGSTech workshop to discuss past and potential future technical and industrial advances in this solar technology. The Centre for Solar Energy and Hydrogen Research (ZSW) and the Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin für Materialien und Energie (HZB) are hosting the eighth installment of this workshop, which caters to scientists, engineers and industry specialists.
The workshop takes place on May 30, 2017 in Stuttgart. The agenda and registration form are posted at www.iw-cigstech.org.
This year's gathering will take place in the ZSW institute's new building in Stuttgart-Vaihingen. Its timing is opportune: After the workshop, participants can conveniently head over to Munich for the Intersolar Europe expo, which opens on the following day.
Solar power systems with 75 gigawatts capacity were installed world-wide in 2016. That is an increase of 50 percent over the previous year's figure. Analysts expect the global market to grow by around 100 gigawatts annually in the years ahead. These are exciting times indeed for the photovoltaics sector. Remarkable strides have been made, especially with thin-film technology featuring a semiconductor made of copper, indium, gallium and selenium (CIGS). Efficiency is rising fast, and manufacturing costs are dropping. CIGS technology has now attained a level of maturity that merits large investments, and major module and equipment manufacturers are stepping up their funding for projects in this field.
Expertise in the latest tech
IW-CIGSTech, an annual fixture on the solar calendar since 2010, is one of the leading international workshops devoted to CIGS thin-film technology. Speakers from the industry's banner companies and re-nowned scientists have agreed to appear at this year's event. An all-day affair, it offers an intriguing mix of topics at the crossroads of science, engineering and industrial applications. On the agenda are lectures, discussions and poster presentations. In the evening, attendees can network with their peers at a meet-and-greet in the new ZSW premises.
Offers for industry at HZB
HZB will strengthen the technology transfer in the field of energy materials and offers a variety of co-operative R&D projects with academia and industry. For this, HZB operates the CoreLabs PVcomB (competence center for photovoltaics Berlin) and HYSPRINT.
- Key technology for a future without fossil fuelsIn June and July 2025, catalyst researcher Nico Fischer spent some time at HZB. It was his sabbatical, he was relieved of his duties as Director of the Catalysis Institute in Cape Town for several months and was able to focus on research only. His institute is collaborating with HZB on two projects that aim to develop environmentally friendly alternatives using innovative catalyst technologies. The questions were asked by Antonia Rötger, HZB.
- 5000th patient treated with protons for eye tumoursFor more than 20 years, Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin and the Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin (HZB) have been jointly offering proton radiation therapy for eye tumours. The HZB operates a proton accelerator in Berlin-Wannsee for this purpose, while Charité provides medical care for the patients. The 5000th patient was treated at the beginning of August.
- Iridium-free catalysts for acid water electrolysis investigatedHydrogen will play an important role, both as a fuel and as a raw material for industry. However, in order to produce relevant quantities of hydrogen, water electrolysis must become feasible on a multi-gigawatt scale. One bottleneck is the catalysts required, with iridium in particular being an extremely rare element. An international collaboration has therefore investigated iridium-free catalysts for acidic water electrolysis based on the element cobalt. Through investigations with various methods, among them experiments at the LiXEdrom at the BESSY II X-ray source in Berlin, they were able to elucidate processes that take place during water electrolysis in a cobalt-iron-lead oxide material as the anode. The study is published in Nature Energy.