“We are honoured by the reward given to Fraunhofer,” said Prof. Ulrich Buller, member of the Fraunhofer Executive Board, who took the price during the ceremony in Brussels on 27 October. Currently, 350 Research and Technology Organizations throughout Europe are members of EARTO, the European Association of Research and Technology Organisations.
This year’s EARTO Innovation Prize was awarded to a team of scientists at the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE in Freiburg led by Dr. Andreas Bett. Betts and his colleagues have developed concentrator solar cells with almost double the efficiency levels of conventional silicon-based cells. This was possible by stacking three different solar cells monolithically on top of each other, thus using almost the entire solar spectrum for energy production. The unique cells have established a new benchmark.
Solar energy is expected to play a crucial role in the energy mix of the twenty-first century, but to realise its full potential, solar cell technology must become more efficient and cost-effective. Scientists at the ISE were convinced that a metamorphic triple-junction solar cell structure consisting of III-V compound semiconductors could challenge the existing efficiency record. By stacking multiple top-quality solar cells on top of each other on a substrate of germanium, the team created a triple-junction solar cell structure better adapted to the spectrum of wavelengths found in sunlight. This way a record-efficiency of 41.1 percent was achieved. These highly efficient cells are applied in concentrator modules which also have been developed by the researchers at Fraunhofer ISE. The result is a new high concentration photovoltaic technology.
To facilitate the swift transfer of technology from the laboratory to industry, a demonstration laboratory was constructed at the Fraunhofer Institute, with the same machines that would be used in industry. Here, researchers are developing and testing production processes for the construction and connection technology, module integration and quality control. A spin-off of ISE – Concentrix Solar GmbH – today produces the concentrator systems that, for example, feed solar power into the grid from a solar park in Spain with 25 percent system efficiency. For the development of metamorphic triple-junction solar cells, the team has been closely collaborating for years with AZUR Space Solar Power in Heilbronn, the leading European manufacturer of solar cells for space. This partner is aiming to bring the highly efficient solar cells to the market by 2011.
“The EARTO Innovation Prize is awarded to research and technology organisations in recognition of their contribution to an innovation of significant economic and social impact. This years’ edition was no different. Once more, the level of the competition was high and submitted projects were excellent examples of what research and technology organisations do best: relevant and targeted innovations creating growth and addressing the grand challenges of our time,” concluded President of EARTO, Prof. Erkki KM Leppävuori.
This is only the second year that the prize has been awarded. The first EARTO Innovation Prize went to TNO (the Netherlands Organisation for Applied Scientific Research) and its partners, the Kennemerland Regional Public Health Laboratory and Vitens, a Dutch drinking water supplier, for the development of an innovative “Legionella Chip”.
For additional information:
Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE
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