News

"Terawatt-scale photovoltaics: Trajectories and challenges" by the Global Alliance of Solar Energy Research Institutes now published in Science

Several new record cell efficiencies were announced at SiliconPV, the 7th International Conference on Silicon Photovoltaics which was held in Freiburg, Germany on April 3-5, 2017. This top-level scientific forum demonstrated that silicon, the workhorse of the solar cell industry, still has large development potential.

To secure water availability on an economic and ecological level, the importance of reusing community and industrial wastewater and process fluids is becoming more and more evident. The cooperative project “Treatment of Concentrates from Wastewater Recycling Processes,” or HighCon for short, aims to develop innovative, multi-step selective processes that allow the generated concentrates to be almost fully reused.

Silicon solar cells dominate the global photovoltaic market today with a share of 90 percent. With ever new technological developments, research and industry are nearing the theoretical efficiency limit for semiconductor silicon. At the same time, they are forging new paths to develop a new generation of even more efficient solar cells.

Until a few years ago, solar air heating collector systems have received only limited attention on the market compared to fluid heating collector systems. Solar air heating collectors are more difficult to measure and to evaluate. This not only hinders the development of new products but also provides less transparency on existing products. In the meanwhile, a more detailed measurement method has been incorporated into the test procedure for solar thermal collectors (DIN EN ISO 9806). On this basis, Fraunhofer ISE created an MS Excel application in order to improve air collector evaluation and system planning. The calculated results serve to certify solar air collectors according to Solar KEYMARK, to design system layouts, to develop air collectors as well as to perform parameter variation studies.

The expansion of renewable energy sources impacts the entire energy system in a variety of ways. Both the functions of the individual components, i.e. supplier, consumer and storage, as well as their interaction with each other must be redefined. Buildings themselves will also have to take on new roles. They must be able to react flexibly to the conditions in the energy system, orienting their operation more on the energy production than demand.

At mid-morning today on Friday, February 24, 2017, a fire broke out in one of the laboratories of the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE located in the Solar Info Center in Freiburg. The fire alarm was immediately set off and the building was successfully vacated. The firefighters were on location immediately and brought the fire quickly under control. According to the Fire Service, four firefighters were injured. A forensic investigation to determine the cause of the fire is underway. The building is presently closed and entry is not permitted. The Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE will report more information as it is confirmed.

The Fraunhofer ISE Energy Charts presents up-to-date data on German electricity production using user-friendly graphs. Now an interactive map has been added that shows the locations of all power plants listed on the European Energy Exchange (EEX) in Leipzig. This new map provides a quick overview of the power plant locations and their grid connectivity.

At the “Fraunhofer CityLaboratory” at the BAU 2017, the Fraunhofer Building Alliance will be presenting both innovative and sustainable solutions from building research (Hall C2, Booth 538). Four themes are highlighted at the special show: Digital Design, Construction and Management, Intelligent Façades, Safety in Building, and Resource-Efficiency and Energy Management.

Prof. Dr. Hans-Martin Henning and Dr. Andreas Bett will serve as provisional institute directors of Fraunhofer ISE as of January 1, 2017 for the interim. This decision was made by the executive board of the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft, since the appointment procedure for Prof. Dr. Eicke R. Weber’s successor has not yet been finalized. Having reached retirement age, Prof. Weber will be leaving Fraunhofer ISE at the end of 2016.