Press Releases

Freiburg/Abu Dhabi (January 16, 2019) Prof. Eicke R. Weber, former director of the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE and Vice President of the International Solar Energy Society (ISES) has been awarded the SOLAR FUTURE.TODAY Visionary Influencer Award 2019 in the category Yearly Lifetime Achievement Award. The award was presented to Prof. Weber during the 3rd Black-Tie Gala Abu Dhabi on the occasion of the 3rd SOLAR FUTURE.TODAY World Annual Forum in Abu Dhabi last night, on January 15, 2019.

Digitalization, climate change, resource scarcity and housing shortages are top challenges requiring innovative and sustainable solutions, also from the building industry. The member institutes of the Fraunhofer Building Alliance are performing visionary research to find interdisciplinary solutions and systems for the living spaces of the future. With a special show at the BAU 2019 (14-19 January 2019 in Munich), the Fraunhofer Alliance is presenting innovative products and system solutions from their building research. The Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE will display innovative and sustainable solutions at a special show in Hall C2, Booth 528.

The Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE in Freiburg has developed a special adhesive process to interconnect silicon solar cells for the industrial production of shingle modules. The market demand for shingle modules is rising rapidly due to their high efficiency and pleasing aesthetics. The cell stringer at Fraunhofer ISE is unique in Germany. It offers a wide range of possibilities for the prototype production of this highly efficient module.

Silicon solar cells dominate the photovoltaic market today but the technology approaches the theoretical maximum efficiency that can be achieved with silicon as the only absorber material. Tandem solar cells, on the other hand, combine several absorber materials, enabling a better energetic use of the solar irradiance spectrum. Due to their higher efficiency potential, tandem solar cells have a promising future. After intensive research, scientists at Fraunhofer ISE in cooperation with partners have achieved a new efficiency record of 22.3 percent for a multi-junction solar cell made of silicon and III-V semiconductor materials. The outstanding achievement is that the III-V layers were directly grown on the silicon.

Minimizing the water consumption of Solar Thermal Power (CSP) plants is an important issue, as this kind of solar power generation is often found in arid areas where the solar irradiation is high. Since these regions are also dusty, the associated yield reduction due to local dust deposition and the costs of cleaning are relevant factors. Particularly in regions lacking water, innovative water saving solutions for cooling and mirror cleaning are needed to significantly reduce the water consumption of solar thermal power plants. Any conflict of water use should be avoided to allow high acceptance of the technology. In the MinWaterCSP project, the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE worked together with its partners on several approaches to reduce the water consumption in CSP plants.

“I have always been interested in problems that were thought to be unsolvable.” This quote stemming from Prof. Dr. Adolf Goetzberger stands both for his scientific career as well as for his unwavering conviction as founder of Fraunhofer ISE, which he launched and led to success. Goetzberger not only advanced photovoltaic technology, a key pillar of a sustainable future energy system, but from the beginning on also incorporated research on the systemic aspects of the energy transformation at the institute, already perceiving the importance.

Concentrator Photovoltaics (CPV) has by far achieved the highest efficiency for the conversion of sunlight into electricity. The basis for this latest achievement lies in the special multi-junction solar cells as well as the perfect interplay between the cell and the module optics. In the EU-funded project CPVMatch, a consortium of research institutions and companies has demonstrated how to optimize both of these aspects and thus better exploit the potential of this technology. The achieved module efficiency of 41.4 % is the highest value ever measured for a photovoltaic module.

The Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE and Heraeus are researching and optimizing novel, selectively coated cell connectors in a joint research project. The Selectively Coated Ribbon (SCR^TM) cell connector achieves an average gain of 1.9 W in conventional 60-cell solar modules. The connector can be used in industrial PV module manufacturing without system modification and at no extra cost. Fraunhofer ISE has successfully tested modules with the SCR connector in its accredited TestLab PV Modules. Heraeus and Ulbrich developed a process for the production of the efficient cell connector and presented the new product to the professional audience in September 2018 at the EU PVSEC in Brussels.

Heat pumps are a key technology for the energy transformation, since they cover the heating demand efficiently and sustainably. While the market for heat pumps in detached and semi-detached homes is growing continuously, there is still potential for heat pump use in multi-family homes and for commercial and industrial applications. At the Chillventa, the international trade fair for cooling, air-conditioning, ventilation and heat pumps, the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE focuses on the potential and the current challenges facing heat pumps in a special presentation. The Chillventa trade fair takes place from 16-18 October 2018 in the City of Nuremberg.

Photovoltaics is booming worldwide. If one considers PV installations in 2017, Europe has lost its pioneering role and now holds fourth place behind China, the USA and India. On the other hand, Europe is leading worldwide in PV research and development as demonstrated by the 35th European PV Solar Energy Conference and Exhibition EU PVSEC, held this year in Brussels from 24-28 September 2018. Fraunhofer ISE, Europe’s largest solar research institute, is represented at the conference with over 60 contributions in the form of talks, posters, session chairs and two plenary speeches as well as a booth at the exhibition.