Prof. Rutger Schlatmann is Chair of the European Platform for Photovoltaics
Rutger Schlatmann become the newly elected Chair of the European Technology & Innovation Platform for Photovoltaics (ETIP PV). © HZB/M. Setzpfandt
Rutger Schlatmann is a solar expert from the Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin (HZB) and professor at the Berlin University of Applied Sciences. At the HZB he heads the Competence Centre for Photovoltaics, which successfully brings together solar research and industry. Now the expert has been elected as chairman of the European Technology and Innovation Platform for Photovoltaics (ETIP PV). It provides independent advice on energy policy issues and the expansion of photovoltaics in Europe.
Schlatmann is supported by David Moser, who is a member of the Board of Directors of the Association of European Renewable Energy Research Centers (EUREC) as well as Jutta Trube, Division Manager of VDMA Sector Group Photovoltaic Equipment, who was elected as the new Vice-Chairperson of the ETIP PV Steering Committee.
For a healthy photovoltaic ecosystem in Europe
Following his election, newly elected ETIP PV Chair, Rutger Schlatmann, expressed his optimism:
“Photovoltaic solar energy in Europe and globally has entered a new and decisive phase. The technology is ready to take a major role in the transition towards a fully renewable energy system. Still, there is ample room for further innovations and continued efforts are necessary to maintain Europe’s position at the technological forefront. ETIP PV has outlined this innovation potential in the recent Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda for Photovoltaics (SRIA).”
Schlatman emphasises that technological leadership and security of energy supply can only be upheld with a thriving and complete supply chain for solar module production on the continent. “Therefore, ETIP PV and its partners will continue to strive for a healthy photovoltaic ecosystem in Europe” he adds.
About European Technology and Innovation Platform for Photovoltaics (ETIP PV)
The European Technology and Innovation Platform for Photovoltaics provides advice on solar photovoltaic energy policy. It is an independent body recognised by the European Commission as a representative of the photovoltaic sector. Its recommendations may cover the areas of research and innovation, market development including competitiveness, education and industrial policy.
Here you find the long version of the press release.
- Battery research: visualisation of aging processes operandoLithium button cells with electrodes made of nickel-manganese-cobalt oxides (NMC) are very powerful. Unfortunately, their capacity decreases over time. Now, for the first time, a team has used a non-destructive method to observe how the elemental composition of the individual layers in a button cell changes during charging cycles. The study, now published in the journal Small, involved teams from the Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt (PTB), the University of Münster, researchers from the SyncLab research group at HZB and the BLiX laboratory at the Technical University of Berlin. Measurements were carried out in the BLiX laboratory and at the BESSY II synchrotron radiation source.
- New instrument at BESSY II: The OÆSE endstation in EMILA new instrument is now available at BESSY II for investigating catalyst materials, battery electrodes and other energy devices under operating conditions: the Operando Absorption and Emission Spectroscopy on EMIL (OÆSE) endstation in the Energy Materials In-situ Laboratory Berlin (EMIL). A team led by Raul Garcia-Diez and Marcus Bär showcases the instrument’s capabilities via a proof-of-concept study on electrodeposited copper.
- Green hydrogen: A cage structured material transforms into a performant catalystClathrates are characterised by a complex cage structure that provides space for guest ions too. Now, for the first time, a team has investigated the suitability of clathrates as catalysts for electrolytic hydrogen production with impressive results: the clathrate sample was even more efficient and robust than currently used nickel-based catalysts. They also found a reason for this enhanced performance. Measurements at BESSY II showed that the clathrates undergo structural changes during the catalytic reaction: the three-dimensional cage structure decays into ultra-thin nanosheets that allow maximum contact with active catalytic centres. The study has been published in the journal ‘Angewandte Chemie’.