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.
- BESSY II: How intrinsic oxygen shortens the lifespan of solid-state batteriesAlthough solid-state batteries (SSBs) demonstrate high performance and are intrinsically safe, their capacity currently declines rapidly. A team from the TU Wien, Humboldt-University Berlin and HZB has now analysed a TiS₂|Li₃YCl₆ solid-state half-cell in operando at BESSY II using a special sample environment that allows for non-destructive investigation under real operating conditions. Data obtained by combination of soft and hard X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS and HAXPES) revealed a new degradation mechanism that had not previously been identified in solid-state batteries. They have gained some surprising insights, particularly regarding the harmful role played by intrinsic oxygen. This study provides valuable information for improving design and handling of such batteries.
- Spintronics at BESSY II: Real-time analysis of magnetic bilayer systemsSpintronic devices enable data processing with significantly lower energy consumption. They are based on the interaction between ferromagnetic and antiferromagnetic layers. Now, a team from Freie Universität Berlin, HZB and Uppsala University has succeeded in tracking, for each layer separately, how the magnetic order changes after a short laser pulse has excited the system. They were also able to identify the main cause of the loss of antiferromagnetic order in the oxide layer: the excitation is transported from the hot electrons in the ferromagnetic metal to the spins in the antiferromagnet.
- Electrocatalysts: New model for charge separation at the solid-liquid interfaceHydrogen is at the heart of the transition to carbon neutrality, as both an energy carrier and a reagent for green chemistry. However, large-scale production of hydrogen via electrolysis, as well as the production of many other chemical products, requires significantly cheaper and more efficient catalysts. A precise understanding of the electrochemical processes that take place at the interface between the solid catalyst and the liquid medium is highly useful for developing better electrocatalysts. In the journal Nature Communications, an European team has now presented a powerful model that determines charge separation at the interface, the formation of the electric double layer and local electric potential variations, and the resulting influence on the catalytic activity.