Knowledge transfer: BAIP consulting office becomes permanent at HZB
The BAIP Team (l.t.r.): Thorsten Kühn (Architecture, Consultancy, and Training), Björn Rau (Office Head), Samira Jama Aden (Architecture, Consultancy, and Training), Markus Sauerborn (Network and Transfer). © Katja Bilo
The BAIP consulting office for building-integrated photovoltaics has been launched as a knowledge transfer project in 2019, funded by the Helmholtz Association's Initiative and Networking Fund. In order to build a bridge between the world of construction and photovoltaics, the consulting office provides comprehensive knowledge for architects, planners, builder-owners, investors and urban developers. After an excellent evaluation, the BAIP consulting office will be permanently financed by HZB.
Classic rooftop photovoltaics are not suitable for every building. But there are now many more options for generating solar power where it is needed: Photovoltaic modules can be integrated into façades and other parts of the building envelope, and they are available in different colours and surface structures, thus also enabling aesthetic designs. However, these new solutions are not yet sufficiently known among experts in the world of construction.
In order to close this knowledge gap, Björn Rau and Markus Sauerborn founded the consulting office in 2019 as a knowledge transfer project and obtained funding from the Helmholtz Association's Initiative and Networking Fund. The BAIP office informs and advises stakeholders from the construction industry nationwide on the possible applications of building-integrated photovoltaics (BIPV) - and does so neutrally and independently of products. BAIP offers consultations and very quickly designed concrete training formats in cooperation with the chambers of architects in Germany and several universities. After being evaluated as excellent by the Helmholtz Association, the HZB is now anchoring the BAIP consulting office as a long-term institution in the field of solar energy and is taking over the permanent basic funding.
The BAIP advice centre is headed by Björn Rau and currently employs Samira Aden and Thorsten Kühn, two proven experts from the field of architecture, who design and implement the consultations and training formats for various specialist audiences.
- 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.
- Discover HZB at our Open Day on 28 AugustWe warmly invite you to our Open Day at the Lise Meitner Campus of the Helmholtz Centre Berlin (HZB) in Wannsee! A varied programme awaits you, featuring around 20 stations, guided tours, talks and hands-on activities for all.
- 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.