Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE

R&D for Energy Transition

The Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE in Freiburg, Germany is the largest solar research institute in Europe.
With a staff of about 1 400, we are committed to promoting a sustainable, economic, secure and socially just energy supply system based on renewable energy sources. We contribute to this through our main research areas of energy provision, energy distribution, energy storage and energy utilization. Through outstanding research results, successful industrial projects, spin-off companies and global collaborations, we are shaping the sustainable transformation of the energy system.


In the market-oriented business areas of Photovoltaics: Materials, Cells and Modules​, Photovoltaics:​ Production Technology and TransferSolar Power Plants and Integrated PhotovoltaicsElectrical Energy​ StoragePower Electronics and GridsClimate-Neutral​ Heat and BuildingsHydrogen Technologies as well as System Integration, the Institute develops materials, components, systems and processes. For this purpose, we have an excellent laboratory infrastructure at our disposal. In addition, we perform analyses, carry out studies, provide consultations and offer our clients testing and certification procedures. Fraunhofer ISE is certified according to the quality management standard DIN EN ISO 9001:2015 and according to the standard DIN EN ISO 50001:2018 for energy management.

 

Fraunhofer ISE - Newsletter

You are interested in up-to-date information on our R&D activities?

 

Fraunhofer ISE -
Annual Report 2024/25

[PDF  10 MB]

Current Press Releases

 

Press Release #24 / 23.7.2025

Ceremony for the Engineering Center for Sustainability: Fraunhofer and the University of Freiburg collaborate

The groundbreaking ceremony on July 22, 2025 marked the start of construction for the Engineering Center for Sustainability in Freiburg.

 

Press Release #21 / 7.7.2025

Net electricity generation in the first half of 2025: Solar power on the rise across Europe

In the first half of 2025, Germany and many other European countries generated more solar power than ever before. 

 

Press Release #20 / 5.6.2025

Health Platform for Pickup Trucks: Research Team Wins the "Innovations for a Better Future" Award

Researchers from the Fraunhofer ISE and the Fraunhofer IST were presented with the Innovations for a Better Future award from the Fraunhofer-Zukunftsstiftung.

 

Press Release #16 / 7.5.2025

Western Australia Could Become Renewable Hydrogen Hub for Europe

The TrHyHub Study analyzed the critical components that could deliver a supply chain from the Mid West Hydrogen Hub in Oakajee to Germany via the Port of Rotterdam.

News and Events

 

Trade Fairs, Conferences and Workshops

24.7.2025

Project "SUREVIVE": How Distribution Grid Systems Stabilize the Electricity Grid

In the course of the energy transition, the proportion of converter-based generation plants in the electricity grid is increasing rapidly, while conventional power plants are being taken off the grid at the same time. In the “SUREVIVE” project, a consortium from research and the energy industry is investigating for the first time in the German distribution grid how grid-forming inverters and a large battery storage system can stabilize the electricity grid. In preparation for the field test, the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE is testing the systems in its multi-megawatt laboratory.
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21.7.2025

Anup Premaraj Kamath from Fraunhofer ISE receives 1st Bruno Scrosati Award

Anup Premaraj Kamath, Research assistant at the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE and master’s student at Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg, received the 1st “Bruno Scrosati Award” for his outstanding approach to the field of electrochemistry and energy storage. The award for international master’s students enrolled at a non-Italian university is in honor of late Prof. Bruno Scrosati, a pioneer in the early development of Lithium-ion batteries.
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16.7.2025

Indoor photovoltaics with over 40 percent efficiency developed

Researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE have succeeded in developing solar cells based on III-V semiconductors that can achieve an efficiency of over 40 percent indoors. By the optimized design and improved quality of the solar cell absorber material , the research team achieved remarkably high efficiencies even under very low light conditions of just 100 lux. This result makes this technology particularly attractive for autonomous Internet of Things (IoT) applications that operate indoors without an external wired power supply. The findings were published in the journal Applied Physics Letters.
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2.6.2025

Scalable Path to Produce Perovskite Silicon Tandem Solar Cells

In a joint research effort, scientists from King Abdullah University of Science and Technology KAUST and Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems successfully replaced spin-coating with blade-coating in the production of perovskite-silicon tandem solar cells. In a “hybrid route” combining evaporation and blade-coating to deposit perovskite solar cells on silicon bottom cells, they produced tandem solar cells with efficiencies approaching 28 percent. Their result opens a path to the large-scale production of this promising new solar cell technology.
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Current Posts from "Innovation4E", the Research Blog of Fraunhofer ISE

We want to share our expertise with you. The research blog of Fraunhofer ISE  »Innovation4E« offers a platform for information and exchange.