HySPRINT Photovoltaics Lab inaugurated

After around four years of renovation, photovoltaics research groups moved into their offices in Kekuléstraße on 20 June 2024. With the reopening, the building has also been given a new name that makes the research more visible: it is now called HySPRINT Photovoltaics Lab.

The conversion had become necessary because the ventilation capacity was no longer sufficient for the laboratory activities. The newly installed ventilation system is so large that it is now located on the roof instead of in the building. The supporting structure is a technical platform that stands on 14 supports with a separate foundation virtually inside the building.

To build the stage, the rooms from the basement to the upper floor had to be emptied. The expandable ventilation system now enables the operation of the HySPRINT laboratories and the KOALA laboratory as well as the expansion of other modern laboratories in the building. The technical platform also provides the technical requirements for installing a photovoltaic system on the roof.

Eva Unger, Steve Albrecht and Antonio Abate hosted a barbecue at the opening and thanked all those who helped with the conversion of the building. In their short speeches, they also looked back on the history of the building. They honoured the research that took place in the former Institute for Silicon Photovoltaics and contributed significantly to the reputation of the HZB. A new era has long since begun with perovskite research and world records. In September 2023, the HZB teams won the first Helmholtz High Impact Award for their outstanding research on novel perovskite materials.