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Splitting hydrogen from water molecules via electrolysis requires energy, which ideally comes from renewable energy sources. Scientists at the Fraun-hofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE have developed a combined pho-tovoltaic/electrolysis module that efficiently produces hydrogen directly from solar energy. To do this, the water molecule is split using the high photo-voltage of multi-junction solar cells, which in turn are electrically and ther-mally connected to electrolyzer cells. A demonstrator from the research team tested outdoors converted up to 31.3 percent of solar energy into chemical energy, based on the higher heating value of hydrogen.

Road freight transport accounts for 7.5 percent of Germany’s greenhouse gas emissions, which is why the electrification of this sector is a key lever for climate protection. The expansion of a high-performance charging infrastructure is crucial for the acceptance and everyday usability of fully electric commercial vehicles. In the “NEFTON” project, a charging current of 3,000 amperes was achieved for the first time, paving the way for charging capacities of more than one megawatt in the future. To this end, in addition to a highly efficient, bidirectional megawatt charging station, components capable of handling charging currents of up to 3,000 amperes were developed and successfully tested. The consortium has summarized the results in a report.

Oxford PV and the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE have combined two high-efficiency technologies in a single photovoltaic module. To achieve this, they used perovskite-silicon solar cells from Oxford PV and connected them using the Matrix Shingle technology developed by Fraunhofer ISE. Oxford PV is a pioneer in perovskite-silicon tandem technology and was the first company to bring this next-generation solar technology into industrial production. The new module design will be on display for the first time at The Smarter E / Intersolar trade fair, taking place from 23 to 25 June 2026 in Munich. A rooftop module variant is on display at Fraunhofer ISE’s stand in hall A1.440, and a bifacial module for large-scale ground-mounted installations is shown at Oxford PV’s stand in hall A4.540.

The European Union aims to reduce its dependence on raw material imports while securing the supply of materials needed for the energy transition. This is where the newly launched European project “M-BAT” comes in: It will develop chemical processes for recovering lithium, cobalt, nickel, manganese, and graphite and carry out pilot projects in Spain, Poland, and the United Kingdom. Fraunhofer ISE is contributing its expertise in the field of direct lithium extraction from geothermal brines to the project.

Scientists at the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE succeeded in breaking their own module record through an optimized interconnection of the solar cells. Their III-V germanium PV module thus achieves an efficiency of 34.4 percent. The solar cells were developed by AZUR SPACE, while the anti-reflective coatings on the front glass were provided by temicon. Visitors to Intersolar / The Smarter E 2026 can see the world’s most efficient PV module at Fraunhofer ISE’s booth A1.440.