On Monday April 16, 2012 the 8^th International Conference on Concentrating Photovoltaic Systems (CPV-8) begins in the Spanish city of Toledo. This is one of the most important events in the branch. Black Photon Instruments, a spin-off company of the Fraunhofer Institute of Solar Energy Systems ISE will be represented at the conference with its own exhibition stand for the first time. Located at Booth No. 18, the company from Freiburg will present measuring instruments and sensors to improve the efficiency of concentrating photovoltaic systems. With this specialization, Black Photon Instruments has successfully entered one of the many market niches in the solar branch.

Given the growing importance of photovoltaics for the provision of electricity from renewable energy sources, the issues of reliability and efficiency of PV modules are becoming increasingly crucial. The workshop ”PV Module Reliability”, which will take place on May 3 and 4, 2012 in Lugano, is devoted to this complex key topic. Under the auspices of the EU project ”SOPHIA”, the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE and the ISAAC Supsi invite the international public involved in the field of photovoltaics to discuss the current state of the art and to attempt to integrate existing industry requirements into the durability of modules in research and testing practices.