Kerry Pianoforte07.08.08
For their work on thin highly efficient silicon solar cells, Dr. Stefan Glunz and his colleagues Dr. Oliver Schultz, Dr. Daniel Kray and Dr. Ansgar Metter were conferred with the Eni Award 2008 in the category “Science and Technology” by the Italian energy company Eni.
Through this award, Eni promotes research and technological innovation in renewable energy. The jury, comprised of an international commission made up of renowned scientists, includes the Nobel Laureate Harold W. Kroto. The official awards ceremony will take place in May 2008 in Italy.
Stefan Glunz is head of the Department of Silicon Solar Cells – Development and Characterization at Fraunhofer ISE in Freiburg, Germany. He and his team have developed several new process steps for obtaining a higher electrical yield from silicon solar cells. These technological innovations are now being transferred successively to industrial production and hence are contributing to cost reductions for solar electricity.
New cell structures and metallization concepts for thin silicon wafers are the focus of this work. Included in the superior results produced by the Freiburg researchers are a world record efficiency for multicrystalline silicon solar cells of 20.3%, a thin film monocrystalline silicon solar cell with a thickness of 40µm and an efficiency of over 20% as well as a non-contact metallization process using aerosol printing. Also highlighted by the awarders of the prize was the close cooperation that the Fraunhofer ISE researchers have with the photovoltaic industry.
“We are very happy to have received the Eni Award,” says Stefan Glunz. “It confirms not only the work carried out by the entire high efficiency team of technicians and scientists but also our strategy to continually work together with solar cell manufacturers on exploiting crystalline silicon technology to its full potential.
Called the “Eni Award” for the first time this year, this award was bestowed ten times previously under the name “Eni Italgas Prize”. In 2008 the Science & Technology award category was given to two parties: Stefan Glunz and his colleagues from Fraunhofer ISE share the award with Arthur J. Nozik from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in the USA.
Through this award, Eni promotes research and technological innovation in renewable energy. The jury, comprised of an international commission made up of renowned scientists, includes the Nobel Laureate Harold W. Kroto. The official awards ceremony will take place in May 2008 in Italy.
Stefan Glunz is head of the Department of Silicon Solar Cells – Development and Characterization at Fraunhofer ISE in Freiburg, Germany. He and his team have developed several new process steps for obtaining a higher electrical yield from silicon solar cells. These technological innovations are now being transferred successively to industrial production and hence are contributing to cost reductions for solar electricity.
New cell structures and metallization concepts for thin silicon wafers are the focus of this work. Included in the superior results produced by the Freiburg researchers are a world record efficiency for multicrystalline silicon solar cells of 20.3%, a thin film monocrystalline silicon solar cell with a thickness of 40µm and an efficiency of over 20% as well as a non-contact metallization process using aerosol printing. Also highlighted by the awarders of the prize was the close cooperation that the Fraunhofer ISE researchers have with the photovoltaic industry.
“We are very happy to have received the Eni Award,” says Stefan Glunz. “It confirms not only the work carried out by the entire high efficiency team of technicians and scientists but also our strategy to continually work together with solar cell manufacturers on exploiting crystalline silicon technology to its full potential.
Called the “Eni Award” for the first time this year, this award was bestowed ten times previously under the name “Eni Italgas Prize”. In 2008 the Science & Technology award category was given to two parties: Stefan Glunz and his colleagues from Fraunhofer ISE share the award with Arthur J. Nozik from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in the USA.