Getting PV from lab to fab

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German research group Helmholtz Association hopes to speed up the adoption of flexible printed solar PV technologies by transferring advances in the lab to industry through its growing Solar TAP initiative.

German research group Helmholtz Association has a new platform to transfer flexible printed solar PV technologies from the lab to industry.

Known as Solar Technology Acceleration Platform (Solar TAP) for emerging Photovoltaics, it aims to bring lighter-weight solar PV solutions in a wider range of colors, with a greater range of transparency, not to mention greater bandgap tunability, than what is available in the market today.

A roadmap for the emerging PV applications is being developed by the Solar TAP participants, according to Jens Hauch, Solar TAP manager.

Read the complete article here

New limits of the possible

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How do we want to live in the future? And how will our visions become reality? Scientists at Forschungszentrum Jülich are already working solutions today. They have ideas that will make life better for better for all of us.

But it doesn’t stop at ideas. Good ideas and from the laboratory become applications with concrete benefits. How? We’ll show you in this this issue of Endeavours magazine.

We explore how our visions can already become can become reality at close quarters: for example in the CroMa-PRO project during the UEFA EURO 2024 in Düsseldorf or through the LAION research network.

It ensures that AI systems with freely accessible data sets can redefine the limits of what is possible with freely limits of what is possible – as illustrated in our cover picture. So come with us on a journey into a world, as it can be when Jülich innovations find innovations find their way into practice: green, smart and safe.

Read the complete article here (German)

Solar TAP Drives Agri-PV Innovation for a Greener Future

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Solar TAP Advances Agri-PV Innovation Toward a Sustainable Future

At Solar TAP, we’re proud to collaborate with Prof. Dr. Ulrich Schurr (Principal Investigator, Solar TAP) and Dr. Matthias Meier-Grüll (Principal Investigator, Solar TAP) to advance Agri-Photovoltaics (Agri-PV), which is a promising approach that combines solar energy production with agricultural use on the same land.

Demonstration sites at the Institute of Bio- und Geosciences at Forschungszentrum Jülich in the Rhenish region are testing three Agri-PV system types:

• Vertical fixed modules, spaced for farm machinery

• Sun-tracking systems that follow the sun

• Elevated pergola-style structures, ideal for shade-tolerant crops.

Demonstration site at Forschungszentrum Jülich. (c) Copyright: Solar TAP

These systems create win-win outcomes — producing clean electricity while protecting crops from extreme weather and reducing water usage through natural shading. In some cases, yields can even increase.

With growing pressure to balance food security and energy transition, Agri-PV offers a scalable, sustainable solution. Policy is beginning to catch up: Germany’s EEG amendment (2023) improved support and funding for Agri-PV. But hurdles like complex permitting still remain.

At Solar TAP, we see Agri-PV as a vital building block in our mission to accelerate multi-benefit PV applications. We’re excited to help shape a future where energy and agriculture grow side by side.

Read the interview with Dr. Meier-Grüll with focus on electricity from farmland here.

Copyright: Ralf-Uwe Limbach / Karen Forberich / Stefanie Ditze

Photovoltaics meets agriculture

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Agri-PV systems in the focus of the 3rd Solar TAP Industry

Düren/Jülich, 10 – 11 April 2024 – Within the Solar TAP innovation platform (short for “Solar Technology Acceleration Platform for emerging Photovoltaics”), industry and science work hand in hand to rapidly develop new photovoltaic technologies to market maturity. The platform’s third industry day focussed on the integration of photovoltaics in agriculture, also known as Agri-PV. This ground-breaking technology promises to revolutionise the efficiency of agriculture and at the same time pave the way for sustainable energy.

Agri-PV: How the production of solar power and plants can succeed side by side

Lightweight, flexible and customisable: Printed innovative photovoltaic technologies (so-called “emerging photovoltaics”) offer more than just the generation of sustainable energy. One example of an application with multiple benefits is agri-photovoltaics (agri-PV for short), which offers enormous potential for Germany’s energy transition. Prof. Ulrich Schurr, Director of the Institute of Plant Sciences at the Jülich Research Centre (IBG-2), highlighted the global status in his keynote speech and thus set the focus of the “3rd Solar TAP Industry Day”. Dr Matthias Meier-Grüll (IBG-2) added an overview of the Agri-PV demonstration projects at Forschungszentrum Jülich.

Read the complete article here (German)

2. Solar TAP Industry Day at the Helmholtz Zentrum Berlin on 10.11.2023

2. Solar TAP Industry Day

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The 2nd Solar TAP Industry Day in Berlin on November 10, 2023, gathered over 65 industry experts and researchers to discuss the advancement of multi-benefit photovoltaic technologies.

The event focused on the collaborative efforts between industry and science to accelerate the market readiness of innovative, lightweight, and flexible photovoltaics.

2. Solar TAP Industry Day at the Helmholtz Zentrum Berlin on 10.11.2023
2. Solar TAP Industry Day at the Helmholtz Zentrum Berlin on 10.11.2023
2. Solar TAP Industry Day at the Helmholtz Zentrum Berlin on 10.11.2023
2. Solar TAP Industry Day at the Helmholtz Zentrum Berlin on 10.11.2023
2. Solar TAP Industry Day at the Helmholtz Zentrum Berlin on 10.11.2023
2. Solar TAP Industry Day at the Helmholtz Zentrum Berlin on 10.11.2023

Participants engaged in a structured roadmapping process to refine application profiles for key sectors such as building-integrated photovoltaics (BIPV), agriculture, and transportation. Laboratory tours at the Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin provided insights into cutting-edge research infrastructure supporting these developments.

The event underscored the significant potential of multi-benefit PV in expanding renewable energy applications.

Event Details:

  • Date: 10.11.2023
  • Time: 08:30 am – 05:00 pm
  • Location: Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin / BESSY II Lecture Hall, Albert-Einstein-Straße 15, D-12489 Berlin

Agenda:
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1. Solar TAP Industry Day at the Energy Campus Nuremberg on 21.07.2023HI ERN/Kurt Fuchs

1. Solar TAP Industry Day

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The Solar TAP project, funded by the Helmholtz Association, aims to accelerate “Multi-Benefit” photovoltaic technology through collaboration between top research centers.

Join us to learn more about Solar TAP, connect with industry leaders, and participate in the kickoff workshop for roadmap development.

1. Solar TAP Industry Day at the Energy Campus Nuremberg on 21.07.2023
1. Solar TAP Industry Day at the Energy Campus Nuremberg on 21.07.2023
1. Solar TAP Industry Day at the Energy Campus Nuremberg on 21.07.2023
1. Solar TAP Industry Day at the Energy Campus Nuremberg on 21.07.2023

On July 21, 2023, the first “Solar TAP Industry Day” took place in Nuremberg, attended by over 60 professionals from industry and academia who gathered to learn about and network around new photovoltaic technologies.

The event served to introduce the Solar TAP innovation platform, aimed at accelerating the transfer of technology from the laboratory to the industry, focusing on “multi-benefit” photovoltaics and associated technologies. Participants, including 18 companies, took the opportunity to introduce themselves through short presentations and engage in in-depth discussions.

Two keynote presentations highlighted the crucial connection between research and industry, addressing the challenges and opportunities for new PV solutions. A subsequent workshop was held to develop a joint roadmap, setting the framework for future collaborations.

The day concluded with a tour of HI ERN’s “Solar Factory of the Future,” where printable organic solar cells are being developed.

Event Details:

  • Date: 21.07.2023
  • Time: 09:00 am – 02:15 pm
  • Location: EnCN, Nürnberg

Agenda:
Download

The integration of novel PV-technologies will focus on various application cases with high potential. Agri-Horti-PV application development will build on the Agri-Horti-PV test site (Agri-Food-Energy Park -- Agri FEe) established by FZJ: Plant Sciences at Alt-Morschenich in the context of BioökonomieREVIER (a large-scale regional transformation of the lignite-mining region Rheinisches Revier into a model region for sustainable bioeconomy ).Christina Kuchendorf

Fast and flexible solar energy from the printer

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Lighter, more flexible and adaptable – the innovation platform Solar TAP develops innovative solutions for photovoltaic applications. The aim is to make surfaces already used in agriculture, the building sector and transport additionally usable for the expansion of solar energy with printed solar cells.

Renewable energies are essential for the success of the energy transition and the desired independence from the import of fossil fuels. Their expansion must therefore be driven forward swiftly and massively. Photovoltaics (PV) – energy from the sun – is an important pillar in this respect. Of all renewable energies, PV has the lowest environmental footprint, i.e. it generates significantly more energy than is needed for its production.

Even though we need to add around 330 Gigawatt in Germany by 2040, this expansion does not automatically mean building new large-scale solar parks: thanks to flexible and efficient PV systems that utilize surfaces in agriculture or in the building sector to generate additional electricity from the sun. The potential for this is great: agricultural land in Germany offers the technical possibility to contribute up to 3 Terawatt (short for terawatt peak) to electricity generation. Solar cells integrated into existing facades could generate up to 1 Terawatt of solar power – for example, to supply electric cars with decentralized and mobile electricity in the future. But so far, just less than 0.1 percent of facade surfaces are used for PV.

Read the complete article here

1. Solar TAP Industry Day at the Energy Campus Nuremberg on 21.07.2023HI ERN/Kurt Fuchs

From research to application

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Helmholtz funds three new innovation platforms with 40 million euros.


Our world is characterised by change and transformation. From energy to mobility, health to climate, new challenges are constantly emerging. Researchers in the Helmholtz Association are working on solutions that address these challenges. To transfer research results into practical applications for the benefit of science, society and industry, Helmholtz is funding three new innovation platforms. Together with external partners, concrete innovations can now be developed quickly and flexibly – in the fields of accelerator technologies, photovoltaics and maritime economy.

At the Helmholtz Centres, scientists work on unique, high-performance research infrastructures in relevant fields. The knowledge generated at these infrastructures forms the basis for innovations and new technological developments for industry. Equally, this research data helps us understand and shape our environment. Facilitating direct access to this knowledge via new, faster cooperation models is an important task, and one that Helmholtz takes seriously. Innovation platforms represent a suitable instrument for this exchange, creating access to ideas and exciting infrastructures, thereby facilitating the exchange between research centres and external interested parties. Helmholtz is now funding three new innovation platforms to create new structures and opportunities for technology transfer and the shared use of large-scale equipment, research infrastructures and data.

Read the complete article here