Press Releases

Sustainability and resource efficiency in the photovoltaic industry will have a significant impact on the future of renewable energies. Currently, raw materials and materials are still being used in solar modules that cannot be recycled at all or can only be partially recycled and have weaknesses in terms of environmental compatibility. This is where the recently completed project “E2 - E-Quadrat. Renewable energies from renewable raw materials”. Together with partners, the Fraunhofer Center for Silicon Photovoltaics CSP in Halle (Saale) has developed a solar module in which the components that are not directly required for light-to-electricity conversion are made from biodegradable materials, recyclable materials or renewable raw materials.

Three Fraunhofer Institutes and the Korean Institute of Energy Research (KIER) want to intensify their exchange on hydrogen, photovoltaics and wind energy topics. To this end, a cooperation agreement was signed today in Halle (Saale). The Fraunhofer Institute for Microstructure of Materials and Systems IMWS, the Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Technology and Advanced Materials IFAM, Dresden Branch and the Fraunhofer Institute for Wind Energy Systems IWES are involved. The collaboration is intended to support the faster establishment of a hydrogen economy and sustainable energy supply in South Korea and Germany.

In the highly competitive photovoltaic industry, technical innovations can bring decisive advantages, especially for European market participants. The prerequisites for this are functioning competition and the ability to enforce the protection of intellectual property. This is where the new "IP Protection" project comes in, in which the Fraunhofer Center for Silicon Photovoltaics CSP in Halle (Saale) is researching preparative and analytical methods together with partners in order to be able to provide legally secure evidence of patent infringements.

The recycling of components from end-of-life solar modules is an important approach to the sustainable use of resources. This allows certain components of solar modules to be reused or converted into new products. The recently launched joint project "RETRIEVE" aims to make this possible: When recycling solar module components, the goal is to improve the material quality so that it meets the current requirements for reintegration into the photovoltaic value chain. The Fraunhofer Center for Silicon Photovoltaics CSP is contributing its expertise in material analysis and process optimization to the project, which will run until March 2027.

For the sixth time in a row, the Fraunhofer Institute for Microstructure of Materials and Systems IMWS in Halle (Saale) has made it onto the list of Germany's most innovative companies compiled by the market research service provider Statista and the business magazine "Capital". The Fraunhofer Center for Silicon Photovoltaics CSP is also represented in the ranking, which is based on the assessment of innovation and industry experts.

Ulrike Jahn has joined the Fraunhofer Center for Silicon Photovoltaics CSP as a Senior Scientist. This is the first time the research institute in Halle (Saale) has filled such a position. The physicist comes from VDE Renewables and is one of the world's leading experts for quality assurance in photovoltaics.

Solar cells made in Europe can set themselves apart from the competition through highly efficient technologies and compliance with environmentally friendly produc-tion processes and standards. This is where the EU-funded joint project PILATUS comes in, which aims to create three digitalised pilot lines for the production of silicon wafers, solar cells and PV modules in Europe by 2025. The aim is to transfer the latest back-contact technology for heterojunction solar cells to mass production. The Fraunhofer Centre for Silicon Photovoltaics CSP is applying its expertise in the field of inline and offline diagnostics and metrology of solar cells using its digitally controlled measurement and classification platform.

South Africa could play an important role in the coming years as a reliable producer of green hydrogen — including as a supplier for Germany. However, the storage and distribution of this resource currently poses challenges. This is where the recently launched Fraunhofer joint research project HySecunda comes in, which is a cooperation between nine Fraunhofer institutes and the Fraunhofer Academy. The project aims to find optimized solutions for produc-ing, storing and certifying green hydrogen. In addition, the consortium is sup-porting efforts to build capacity in the region and in current projects on hy-drogen-based fuels for the aviation industry.

Stefan Lange from the Fraunhofer Centre for Silicon Photovoltaics CSP in Halle (Saale) has been awarded the Heinz Bethge Prize for Materials Science, worth 500 euros, by the Heinz Bethge Foundation for Applied Electron Microscopy for his dissertation entitled "Parasitic oxides at buried interfaces in modern silicon solar cells". His findings can contribute to a better understanding of the fundamental properties of the layer systems in a solar cell and the associated electronic properties.