HZB experts present cooperation opportunities at Intersolar Europe in Munich
Tandem solar cells combining silicon and perovskite layers could convert up to 30 percent energy into electricity.
How do environmental influences influence the performance of solar modules? The Competence Center for Photovoltaics (PVcomB) is investigating this question at the outdoor test stand.
The international exhibition “Intersolar” brings photovoltaic research and the solar industry together. It is a perfect opportunity for researchers from Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin to present thin-film photovoltaic technologies and projects, including for example perovskite solar cells and tandem solar cells.
Intersolar Europe(22 to 22 June) is one of the most important international events for the solar industry, where manufacturers, suppliers, distributors and service providers come to learn of new developments in the solar industry. A team from Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin (HZB) will be there, in Hall A2, Booth 572, to show which topics HZB is researching in the field of renewable energies. Important points of contact for industry are the Helmholtz Innovation Lab HySPRINT and the Competence Centre Thin-Film and Nanotechnology for Photovoltaics Berlin (PVcomB). These two institutes promote technology transfer and will be there to answer questions at the exhibition.
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 572 (A2.572). The exhibition will take place from 20 to 22 June 2018 in Munich
More information
- on HySPRINT
- on PVcomB
- on INTERSOLAR EUROPE
- Successful master's degree in IR thermography on solar facadesWe are delighted to congratulate our student employee Luca Raschke on successfully completing her Master's degree in Renewable Energies at the Hochschule für Technik und Wirtschaft Berlin - and with distinction!
- BESSY II: Phosphorous chains – a 1D material with 1D electronic propertiesFor the first time, a team at BESSY II has succeeded in demonstrating the one-dimensional electronic properties of a material through a highly refined experimental process. The samples consisted of short chains of phosphorus atoms that self-organise at specific angles on a silver substrate. Through sophisticated analysis, the team was able to disentangle the contributions of these differently aligned chains. This revealed that the electronic properties of each chain are indeed one-dimensional. Calculations predict an exciting phase transition to be expected as soon as these chains are more closely packed. While material consisting of individual chains with longer distances is semiconducting, a very dense chain structure would be metallic.
- Did marine life in the palaeocene use a compass?Some ancient marine organisms produced mysterious magnetic particles of unusually large size, which can now be found as fossils in marine sediments. An international team has succeeded in mapping the magnetic domains on one of such ‘giant magnetofossils’ using a sophisticated method at the Diamond X-ray source. Their analysis shows that these particles could have allowed these organisms to sense tiny variations in both the direction and intensity of the Earth’s magnetic field, enabling them to geolocate themselves and navigate across the ocean. The method offers a powerful tool for magnetically testing whether putative biological iron oxide particles in Mars samples have a biogenic origin.