Press Releases

The American company Source Energy and the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE have jointly developed a new product line for space satellites based on silicon solar cells. The solar arrays are using a special interconnection technology. Combined with inexpensive silicon solar cells, this enables modules at much lower costs compared to standard III-V technology that currently dominates the space sector. The automated production process, utilizing the M10 Solar Equipment GmbH’s Shingle-Matrix Stringer, allows Source Energy to delivery their products in less than six months from the time of order.

Heat pumps can replace existing gas and oil heating systems in multi-family houses when the entire system is designed to match the building. This is the core finding of the "LC R290" research project, in which the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE worked with a consortium of twenty companies from the heating industry and housing sector to develop typical solution concepts for heating system replacement. The project team used the refrigerant propane (R290) for this purpose.

The share of renewable energy in Germany’s net public electricity genera-tion—the actual mix of electricity coming from the outlet—stood at 61.8 percent in the first half of 2026. Wind power increased its generation by 12.2 percent compared to the previous year, while the electricity feed-in from photovoltaics reached a new record of 43.2 terawatt-hours. Strong generation from renewable sources ensured that electricity prices in the spring were largely decoupled from the rise in gas prices caused by the war in Iran. This is according to an analysis by the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE based on data from the energy-charts.info platform.

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.

Vehicles that generate their own solar power could make a significant contribution to the decarbonization of the transportation sector. Findings from the European research project SolarMoves suggest that so-called Vehicle Integrated Photovoltaics (VIPV)—solar modules integrated into vehicles—can significantly reduce electricity demand and the strain on the power grid. The study found that, in the best-case scenario, a passenger car in Central Europe can generate up to 55 percent of its annual energy needs on its own; in Southern Europe, this figure can reach up to 80 percent.

Excellent wind potential, strong government support, and other favorable factors could make Ireland a key player in the hydrogen economy. This is the conclusion of the HYreland project, which analyzed the technological, economic, and environmental potential for green hydrogen and its synthesis products on the island. For exports to Germany, the most favorable option is via pipeline transport to the ports of Rotterdam or Stade, provided it is available.

By applying a perovskite cell just 500 nanometers thick onto a conventional silicon solar cell, the theoretical efficiency limit increases from 29.4 to 43.3 percent. To pave the way for the industrial implementation of this tandem technology, the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE opened a new laboratory today. The “Pero-Si-SCALE” offers an independent R&D infrastructure and is available to the German and European photovoltaic industry. In particular, solar cell and module manufacturers can use it to scale up new cell designs to large cell formats using industry-standard manufacturing processes, analyze them extensively, and integrate them into PV modules.

Scientists at the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE have succeeded in creating colored films with transparent cutouts, thereby producing realistic-looking designs on photovoltaic modules. In this way, roof tiles, for example, can be imitated. The film cutout patterns utilize MorphoColor® technology, an invention of Fraunhofer ISE that creates a color impression without significantly impairing the efficiency of a PV module. Visitors to The Smarter E / Intersolar 2026 can view PV modules equipped with “ShadeCut” at the Fraunhofer ISE booth A1.440.

Setting up a manufacturing facility or developing new technologies – NEXUS GreenTech, the new spin-off of the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE, supports manufacturers of wafers, solar cells, and PV modules with issues related to product development and factory planning. The founders, Dr. Jochen Rentsch, Dr. Sebastian Nold, and Dr. Nico Wöhrle previously spent many years researching PV technologies, associated production processes, and quality assurance, and all three were most recently part of the PV Technology Transfer unit at Fraunhofer ISE. The spin-off, founded at the end of March, is headquartered in Freiburg, Germany.